Corruptible
by Scealai
Summary: Chloe is on the trail of a hot and very dangerous story and inadvertently takes Lex along for the ride, but exactly who is corrupting whom? And in what way?
1. Chapter One

Author's Note: This is the R-rated version of this story that had been  
posted here previously. I figured that I hadn't   
ventured into NC-17 territory yet, so I would repost   
it. When the NC-17 chapter of this story does happen,  
I will post an edited version here and the full version  
at Naughty-seduction. Thanks to everyone who reads  
and reviews.  
  
Title: Corruptible  
Author: T. C.  
Rating: R  
Pairing: Lex/Chloe  
Summary: Chloe is on the trail of a hot and very dangerous story and  
inadvertently takes Lex along for the ride, but exactly who  
is corrupting whom? And in what way?  
Disclaimer: The characters of Smallville belong to Alfred Gough & Miles  
Millar who based them on the DC comics characters created  
by Jerry Siegel & Joe Schuster. The series is produced  
by the WB & Tollin/Robbins Productions.  
Spoilers: It's best to keep current with the series because I tend to  
use details from the show to add authenticity and background.  
Distribution: Please ask first, I usually say yes.  
***********************************************************************  
Part One  
  
The club was noisy and crowded with fake show-offs chattering inane  
banter they mistook for wit. Not exactly Chloe Sullivan's favorite  
things, but she was here anyway. The opening night of Bacchanalia,  
the newest, hippest club in Metropolis was where she was going to find  
her prize-winning headline story for The Torch. Chloe hated to admit  
it, but Principal Kwan's crack about 'tabloid' journalism had hit her  
hard. So, for the moment, she was turning her attention away from The  
Wall of Weird and to hard-hitting investigative reporting. She was   
going to win the Ryan Award for Journalistic Achievement.  
  
Unfortunately, so far the best story she had was how pitifully easy it  
had been to obtain a fake University of Metropolis student ID. All   
she had needed was her cousin's student number and the claim that she  
had lost her card. Then presto! She was now twenty-one year old  
Gillian McKay. It would make a good introduction, but it was in no  
way a headline story. Or award winning. Chloe was certain that she  
could find something better here. There had been rumors surrounding  
the construction of the club - permits mysteriously obtained and a   
liquor licence that had been denied and then suddenly granted. It was  
obvious that some sort of bribery had taken place, the owner of the  
club was Nicholas Rothman who seemed to be giving Lex Luthor a run for  
his money in the rich bad-boy competition. Like the fake ID, all of  
the shady financial deals would make great lead-ins to her major   
story about the body. Francesca Rothman, Nicholas Rothman's sister  
and the attorney who had been handling the legalities of opening a  
club, had been found dead in the club the week before. The Metropolis  
police had ruled the death an accident, but the reporter in Chloe   
wasn't so sure.  
  
"So, what will you have, pretty lady?" The bartender flashed her a  
grin. Without realizing it, Chloe had made her way to the bar. On her  
way to Metropolis on the bus, she had briefly debated whether or not  
to order anything alcoholic while at the club. She knew it would look  
weird if she didn't, but she still wanted to keep all her faculties.  
There was also the added dilemma that she had very little knowledge  
about what cocktails were the 'in' drink at the moment - Smallville was   
strictly beer country.   
  
In a felicitous moment, fate saved her from answering. "Whatever she  
wants, it's on the house, Vince." The smooth voice and perfect white  
capped teeth that gleamed down at her belonged to a very handsome man.  
He was as tall as Clark, but that was the only thing they would have  
had in common. Chloe doubted that this man with his dark blonde hair  
and biting green eyes had ever been as innocently sweet as her best   
friend. "I'm Nicholas Rothman. Bacchanalia is mine."  
  
"Wow." Chloe couldn't think of anything else to say to such an   
arrogant introduction, so she put on what she hoped was an adoring   
look on her face. It seemed to be enough, because Nicholas Rothman  
sat down at the bar and gestured that she do the same. "Gillian   
McKay. Well, Mr. Rothman, what do you recommend?"  
  
"Call me Nick, Gilly." Nick turned to the bartender. "The lady will  
have Love Potion #9." He glanced back at Chloe before continuing,  
"Cherry." He lifted an eyebrow at Vince, who nodded and turned to   
make her drink.  
  
"What's in it?" Chloe hoped she hadn't asked a stupid question - one  
that would instantly brand her as a sixteen year old highschool girl.  
  
"Vodka, white rum, and Kool-aid. I reserve the cherry for special   
customers."  
  
"Sounds good. Thank you, Nick, cherry happens to be my favorite  
flavor." Chloe smiled and ran her tongue over her lips nervously.  
  
"Mine too." Nick stared at her in a way that made it clear he wasn't  
talking about a fruit flavor. His eyes slowly ran up and down her   
body. No one had ever looked at Chloe like that and she wasn't sure  
she ever wanted someone to again - not even Clark.  
  
With a shaky laugh, Chloe tried to casually adjust the navy blue mini  
skirt and matching frosty silk camisole that she had also borrowed   
from her cousin so they showed less skin. When her drink arrived, she  
took a larger sip than she had intended because her mouth was so dry.  
"Mmm, it's sweet." Chloe took a deep breath. She couldn't believe  
that one man could make her so jumpy. She was a reporter and she had  
Nicholas Rothman's undivided attention. She should use it to her  
advantage instead of acting like he was stalking her in a dark alley.  
"Is all this your dream? Have you always wanted to own a nightclub?"  
First rule of the interview process - get the subject talking about  
himself.  
  
"It's more of a diversion, really. I have much bigger plans than  
this." While Nick expounded on his 'bigger plans,' Chloe sipped at  
her drink. She was listening, even though she wasn't remotely   
interested in what he was actually saying. She was listening for an  
opening to direct the conversation toward his sister and the problems  
he had with opening the club. "Vince, get Gilly another drink. You're  
finished that one," Nick pointed out to her.  
  
Chloe looked down at the empty glass, she had finished her drink.   
Oops. "You must be a fascinating man, Nick, I didn't even realize I  
had finished it." She leaned forward, tilting her head slightly.   
"You aren't trying to get me drunk, are you?"  
  
"Gilly, you wound me." Nick clutched at his chest. He leaned in   
until their faces were inches away. "Of course that's what I'm doing."  
  
Instead of getting more nervous, Chloe relaxed. She laughed and sat  
back to take a sip of her second drink. "Well, what should I expect  
from a man who names his club after ancient Roman orgies." A small   
part of her mind was wondering what the hell was going on. Nick's leer  
had ceased to creep her out, she was actually quite comfortable. She  
told that part of her mind to shut up, she was just getting a story   
and there was no way she had gotten drunk on one drink. She was fine.  
  
*****  
  
Age must be getting to him. Lex Luthor sat at a table in the VIP   
section of Bacchanalia and suppressed a yawn. It was either age or  
Smallville that was effecting his enjoyment of the nightlife. He was  
surrounded by beautiful women and he couldn't be bothered with them.   
Lex was bored. He finished off his scotch and scanned the crowd for  
his old boarding school friend, Nicholas Rothman. The least he could  
do was say good-bye and congratulate him on his new club - he had used  
a construction firm owned by LuthorCorp.  
  
"Lex, leaving so soon?" A soft, warm body pressed into Lex's side,  
preventing him from standing up. Courtney Thomas pouted prettily at  
him. Her short black hair framed her face in soft wisps. Idly, Lex  
wondered if, like Victoria, she had slept with this father too.  
  
"I have business meetings." Lex spotted Rothman chatting up a blonde at  
the bar. He turned to untangle himself from Courtney's restraining  
embrace, but stopped and did a double take back to the bar. That  
wasn't just any blonde, that was Chloe Sullivan - Clark Kent's best  
friend and his plant manager's sixteen year old daughter. Lex settled  
back into his seat and gestured to the waiter. "I'll have another  
scotch."  
  
"I knew you were up for some fun tonight." Courtney snuggled up closer  
to him and started to nibble on his neck.  
  
"We've already had fun, Courtney." Lex's gaze never left Chloe. He had  
seen the bartender take away an empty glass and replace it with a full  
one and he wondered how many she drank earlier. "And I don't care to  
repeat the experience."  
  
"Victoria was right, your father is the better man." Courtney withdrew  
herself from Lex and flounced off in a huff.  
  
The only indication Lex gave that he had heard the insult was a slight  
frosting of his eyes. He took a drink and returned to his observations  
of his old boarding school acquaintance and the schoolgirl. Rothman  
was in full predator mode, taking every opportunity to touch Chloe. It  
was true that Lex didn't know Chloe very well, but from the few times  
they had interacted he had gotten the impression that she would find  
Bacchanalia and its denizens ridiculous. He also would have figured  
her as much too smart to be Rothman's type.  
  
The more Lex dwelled on the situation, the more it galled him. Chloe  
had intrigued him with her Wall of Weird, quicksilver mind, and   
insatiable curiosity. All of that would be wasted on Nicholas Rothman   
- he was only interested in how many women he could bed and virgins he  
could deflower. Lex frowned as he tried to figure out the girl's   
motives for being at the club. From Clark he knew that Chloe didn't   
have very many friends - basically, just Clark and some guy named Pete -  
and wasn't exactly Miss Party Girl. Besides her obsession with   
meteor oddities, her only other interest was the school newspaper.   
Lex's frown evolved into a knowing smirk. Of course, Chloe Sullivan  
had her reporter fedora on and was pumping Rothman for information on  
his sister's death. He couldn't help but admire her spunk, even though  
it had been foolish of her to investigate alone. Lex relaxed,   
wondering how far the intrepid reporter would go for her story. She   
was putting up with Rothman's advances rather well.  
  
Actually, Chloe's tolerance was beginning to bother Lex. Story or not,  
he expected at least a few cutting remarks for the hand that traveled  
from its resting spot on her knee to her waist, if not a slap across  
the face. His suspicions intensified when Chloe allowed Rothman to  
lead her from the bar to the back stairs that led up to his offices.  
She couldn't be that stupid or that drunk and if she was...it really   
was none of his business. She was a smart enough girl to have gotten  
a hold of some fake ID to get into the club. She drank the alcohol,  
it wasn't forced on her. He wasn't her babysitter or guardian angel.  
  
Lex sighed and stood up. It was Smallville that was effecting him  
because normally he wouldn't have cared about Rothman and another one  
of his conquests and he certainly wouldn't have interfered. But Chloe  
Sullivan was Clark's friend, as was he, and Clark would want her  
protected. Besides, Nicholas Rothman wasn't exactly known for his  
scrupulous seduction techniques. Lex made his way toward the stairs   
that Chloe and Rothman had ascended.  
  
*****  
  
Her common sense was trying to tell her something. Chloe strained to  
listen, but every time Nick touched her she was distracted. The silky  
feeling of skin on skin felt so good even though the man touching her  
bothered her. She didn't like him. Or did she? Chloe was confused.  
She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. The thoughts wouldn't   
stay in her head.  
  
"Are you okay, Gilly?" Nick's hand moved up from her knee to squeeze   
her waist. He moved into her personal space to whisper in her ear,  
"Would you like to go up to my office? I have a very comfortable  
couch." Without waiting for an affirmative reply, he took her hand  
and helped Chloe stand up. He wrapped an arm around her waist and led  
her to the back of the club.  
  
"Where are we going?" Chloe shook her head to clear it. Why was this  
man calling her Gilly? What was she doing? She stumbled on the steps  
and the man - Nick, his name was Nick - caught her. Oh, God, she was  
drunk. That had to be it. She was drunk and should go home. She  
opened her mouth to tell Nick that, but nothing came out.  
  
"This is my office." Nick used her open mouth in a plundering kiss.  
The story. Chloe remembered now. She was here to get a story for the  
Torch. She fumbled her way out of his arms and stumbled over to the  
dark grey leather couch in the corner. She sat down heavily, enveloped  
by its softness, and closed her eyes. The room was spinning. She felt  
sick. She tried again to say something to Nick, but all that came out  
was a soft moan when his lips touched the curve of her breast. The   
strap of her camisole was off her shoulder. When had that happened?  
  
"No." Chloe shook her head, but that only made her more dizzy.  
  
"Shh, it's okay." Nick pulled her down so she was laying down on the   
couch and he moved on top of her. His knee was planted between her   
legs and it seemed like his hands were everywhere - her thigh, her  
abdomen, her breasts.  
  
This was wrong. She should do something. But the dense fog that   
clouded her brain prevented Chloe from fighting, her muscles wouldn't  
respond to the rising panic swirling in her mind. "I'm going to be  
sick," she whispered and passed out.  
  
"Personally, I don't consider that to be a turn on, but to each his  
own." Lex's flinty glare fixed on the unconscious girl sprawled on   
couch. He leaned casually in the doorway, but a fierce anger was   
welling inside of him.  
  
"Hello, Lex." Nick sat up a bit but didn't move away from Chloe. He  
caressed her collarbone. "If you don't mind, I'm busy. We can discuss  
LuthorCorp contracts later."  
  
"She's sixteen." Lex strolled into the office, closing the door behind  
him with a quiet click. "And if you don't want interruptions, you  
should close and lock your door. My father taught me that one when I  
walked into his office and caught him fucking his secretary." He   
didn't mention that it had been on the day of his mother's funeral.  
  
"Her ID says she's twenty-one." Nick removed his other hand from   
beneath Chloe's skirt and moved to the end of the couch.  
  
"Trust me, she's sixteen." Lex picked up a photograph of Rothman and  
his family. His sister was smiling for the camera, but it didn't   
reach her eyes. When he had been eighteen, he and Francesca Rothman  
had a brief fling. He still remembered some of the things she had told  
him about her family. He had to get Chloe out of there. "Her father  
is an employee of mine."  
  
"Yeah? Does Daddy know what his little girl is up to tonight?" Nick  
leered at Chloe's sprawled legs and Lex resisted the urge to shove him  
away from her.  
  
"I doubt it, but once he finds out he'll go straight to your father."  
Lex smirked at the fear that replaced Rothman's ardor. In some ways,  
the senior Rothman made Lionel Luthor look like the father of the year.  
"If your old man's anything like mine, he'll bail you out by settling  
some cash on the girl and her father and then he'll close this place  
down on you. Too bad, it's been fun and it might have made you some  
money."  
  
"Shit." Nick jumped up and started to pace. He never had been good at  
staying cool under pressure. "He almost closed it after Frannie got  
herself killed here."  
  
Lex tilted his head. "I thought it was an accident."  
  
"It was." But by the quick darting of his eyes, Lex knew Nick was   
lying - he had never been any good at that either. "Nothing happened.  
She can just sleep it off and then everything will be fine."  
  
"Sure, it'll be fine. She'll wake up in a strange place, with a   
strange man, and take your word that nothing happened. I doubt it."  
Lex was starting to enjoy this - who knew saving damsels could be so  
much fun. He stuck his hands in his pockets and casually headed for   
the door. "Good luck."  
  
"Wait." Nick blocked his way. "What do I do? People saw me come up   
here with her. And Vince...."  
  
"Shouldn't you have thought of this before?"  
  
"Come on, Lex, you gotta help me. We're old friends. Remember our  
Club Zero days?"   
  
"Yes, I do. They almost got me killed and they did get me banished to  
Smallville. Not a compelling incentive." As Lex pretended to mull   
over other options, he side-stepped Rothman and walked over to Chloe.  
He crouched down beside her and straightened her clothing so that less  
skin was exposed. He already knew what he wanted from Rothman. While  
he was indulging this inexplicable desire to play white knight, he  
might as well take care of some business as well. "Get your valet to  
pull my car around back and I'll take her home. I'll tell her father I  
ran into her here and she was drunk."  
  
"And what do I have to do for this act of generosity on your part?"  
Nick whined petulantly, but he took the valet ticket that Lex held out  
to him.   
  
"Sign a contract with LuthorCorp. We'll provide your club with   
everything it requires. At my price."  
  
"Fine. Have your assistant fax the contracts in the morning." Nick  
turned to leave the office.  
  
"How much did she have to drink?" Lex turned back to Chloe and brushed  
some hair off her neck. He could feel her pulse beating steadily   
which was reassuring.  
  
"Just a glass and a half of Love Potion #9...spiked with GHB."  
  
Again Lex restrained the impulse to do Rothman serious bodily harm. He  
gathered Chloe in his arms and turned to his 'old friend.' He couldn't  
keep the disgust out of his voice and he didn't want to. "That stuff   
is dangerous. She could be in a coma. She could die."  
  
The insult brought out the bluster in Rothman. His jaw tightened.   
"Only amateurs overdose, Lex. The little slut is fine." He turned  
sharply and left the office to find the valets.  
  
Lex made his way down the hall to a set of stairs that would lead down  
to the alley behind the club. Chloe's breathing was deep and even, she  
didn't seem to be in any physical distress. When it came to women,  
Lex knew he could be a bastard - use them and lose them unless they   
made a good trophy wife was the Luthor philosophy - but he didn't   
understand men who found satisfaction in raping unconscious women. The  
seduction games he and Victoria had played were a two-way street. They  
had used and abused each other and both had known exactly what they  
were getting into. Lex pushed open the door and stepped out into the  
alley as his car pulled up.  
  
The sudden coolness of the air made Chloe shiver and she snuggled   
closer to the warmth that held her. She was floating. Floating in a  
gauzy web she couldn't break free from. She didn't want to, she was  
too tired. "Open the passenger door," a strong, commanding voice   
ordered. The sound vibrated against her cheek and Chloe struggled to  
open her eyes.  
  
A man was holding her. A young, handsome, bald man. He was familiar,  
but Chloe couldn't remember his name. As she struggled to make her  
mind work, he looked down at her. Steely blue/green eyes mesmerized  
her. "I know you," Chloe slurred softly.  
  
"Yes, you do. I'm Lex Luthor, Clark's friend." Chloe nodded even   
though the names meant nothing to her. It seemed to satisfy him   
because he smiled slightly. Lex set her in the passenger seat of a  
car and buckled her up the seatbelt. His hand reached up to cup her  
cheek. "It's okay, Chloe, you're safe now."  
  
"Yes," Chloe agreed and smiled. She was safe. She clumsily extended  
her hand and tried to caress his cheek, but got his nose instead. "You  
have pretty eyes." She wanted to look into his eyes forever. Her  
head lolled back against the seat and her eyes drifted closed as she  
lost consciousness, but Lex Luthor's eyes still burned through the   
fuzzy darkness clouding her mind.  
  
To be continued.... 


	2. Chapter Two

Part Two  
  
"I thought old Lionel sent you out here to keep you out of trouble?"  
Toby, an unlicenced doctor Lex was acquainted with, removed the blood  
pressure cuff from Chloe's arm. She was laying, still unconscious and  
fully clothed, on Lex's bed and Toby sat beside her.   
  
"That was the plan. Is she okay?" Lex stood at the end of the bed and  
watched as Toby lifted Chloe's eyelids and flashed a light in her eyes.  
  
"I gotta hand it to you, Lex, you've surprised me." Toby packed up his  
medical bag. He gave Chloe a once over that had nothing to do with a  
medical examination. "She doesn't look like your type and I never took  
you for a guy who resorted to chemical seduction."  
  
Lex walked from the end of the bed to Chloe's other side. He covered  
her up with the sheet and comforter. He had called him to make sure  
Chloe was alright, but he didn't like how Toby leered at her. "This is  
Rothman's handiwork. I interrupted and convinced him to let me take   
her home. She's underage. Did he hurt her?"  
  
"You rescued her? Now that really isn't you." Toby stood up. He  
grinned knowingly at Lex. "Don't worry, there's no permanent damage.  
You said she had regained consciousness briefly before, her vitals are  
good and her pupils respond to light. There's nothing you can do but   
let her sleep it off and she'll have a hell of a headache in the   
morning. She won't remember very much either."  
  
"She's fine then?" Lex sat down beside Chloe. She was so still, she  
didn't move at all.  
  
"You might want to keep an eye on her tonight. If her breathing   
becomes ragged or pulse tachy - that's rapid to you laymen - then get  
her to a hospital. My fee?"  
  
Lex took an envelope out of his jacket's inner pocket and handed it to  
Toby. "I didn't want to leave her alone to get your usual fee. Cash  
will have to do."  
  
"I'll let it slide this time, but only because you made this visit   
interesting. I never saw you as a guardian of teenage girls' virtue.  
Or is it just this particular girl? Hey, maybe you'll get lucky and  
she'll give her hero a kiss when she wakes up." Toby guffawed and  
continued to chuckle as he left the room.  
  
What was it about this particular girl? Lex knew that if Rothman had  
been hitting on any other girl - sixteen or not - he wouldn't have  
interfered. It wouldn't have been his business. Chloe was his   
business. Was it because she was Clark's friend and he felt he owed  
Clark something for saving his life? Was it because her father   
worked for him? Was it because he found her delightfully interesting?  
Lex moved from the bed to a chair beside it as he analyzed these  
questions. He prided himself on always knowing exactly where his  
feelings came from and what his behavior meant. If you didn't know   
your own mind, it was difficult to determine others' actions and   
motives.  
  
Quickly, Lex went over every encounter between him and Chloe Sullivan.  
He remembered the determined, almost predatory gleam in her eye when  
Clark had introduced them. Her mind must have been churning with all  
the questions she wanted to ask him. She had probably started   
pestering Clark to ask him for an interview as soon as he left. He  
had liked the excitement that had lit up her face when he had mentioned  
a job at the Intruder for the summer. That same glow had been there  
while she had imparted the information she had gathered on Kyle and  
Rickman.  
  
Despite the age difference Lex was attracted to Chloe. That was the  
root of this sudden heroic bent. He wanted Chloe, but wouldn't act on  
it because she was too young. Obviously Rothman didn't have the same  
reservations. Lex would be damned before he let Rothman take what he  
wanted. These proprietary feelings were almost a relief. Lex sat back   
in his chair to make himself more comfortable. He would hate to think   
he was losing his edge and had rescued Chloe simply because he had felt  
sorry for her. Luthor's didn't live long without edge.  
  
*****  
  
It was time to wake up. The only problem was that Chloe did not want  
to open her eyes. She knew if she did, the dull ache in the back of  
her head would become a lancing pain between her eyes. Besides, her  
bed was so soft and it smelled...sharp and spicy. This wasn't her  
bed. Her bed smelled lemony fresh like the detergent she used to wash  
her bedding. What had happened last night? Part of the answer rushed  
at her. The story. Bacchanalia. Nicholas Rothman. Love Potion #9.  
Unfortunately, after that her memory stopped. Oh, God, what did she   
do?  
  
Chloe sat up in bed and immediately clutched her head in combined   
mortification and pain. "Oww," she moaned. Please, God, let her be  
alone. She didn't want to face Nicholas Rothman, if it was indeed  
Nicholas Rothman she was with. She wanted to cry.  
  
"Hangovers are never fun," a cool, smooth voice informed her. He  
didn't sound like Nicholas Rothman. Chloe took a deep breath and   
looked up. Lex Luthor stood beside the bed, holding out a glass of  
water. "Here, drink this."  
  
"M..Mr. Luthor?" Chloe croaked. Her mouth and throat were incredibly  
dry so she took the offered water and gulped half the glass down. It  
was pleasantly cool and even better was the two Aspirin Lex handed her.  
"Thank you."  
  
"You're welcome. And after what happened last night I think you can   
call me Lex." He had to suppress an actual smile at the horror that  
crossed Chloe's face. It wasn't the expression he was used to seeing   
on a woman's face when she woke up in his bed, they were usually quite   
satisfied with themselves for seducing the heir to LuthorCorp. Despite  
his amusement with the novelty of her reaction, he would reassure her   
that nothing happened, of course, but it would do her some good to   
contemplate what could have happened. Maybe then she would think twice  
about haring off after some story for her precious newspaper. It   
wasn't an impossible outcome, just unlikely.  
  
"What happened last night?" She did not have sex with Lex Luthor. She  
did not. Chloe wracked her brain for something - anything, even the  
tiniest glimpse of a memory - that would support her desperate   
statement. Nothing. She didn't remember meeting up with or even  
seeing Lex Luthor at Bacchanalia at all. The only thing she had to go  
on was waking up in his bed. Chloe buried her head in her hands and  
drew her knees up. What had she been thinking? Sure, she had been  
attracted to Lex when she had met him. He was intriguing, mysterious,  
and dangerous - nothing at all like Clark - but he was also older.   
Chloe sighed and opened her eyes. Something was weird - she was still  
fully clothed in the same clothes from the night before. She looked  
up at Lex. He met her confused frown with that half smirk of his that  
could be very annoying, mostly because it was so alluring.  
  
"I rescued you." The words sounded ridiculous. Lex had only said them  
to provoke a response. It wasn't what he expected. He had expected  
her eyes to widen in shock and disbelief, but instead she just nodded   
in relief. She trusted his word, another novelty. Of course, it   
probably helped that she still had her clothes on. He had considered  
having one of his female staff members dress her in something more  
comfortable, but in the end he thought Chloe would be less alarmed if  
she woke up in the clothes she remembered wearing. It had been a good  
instinct. "I saw Rothman take you up to his office. You passed out  
as I arrived, but Rothman didn't seem to mind - in fact, it was what  
he wanted. I informed him of your real age and persuaded him that your  
father was a draconian of the highest order who would go straight to  
his father and demand restitution for his daughter's honor. He   
practically begged me to take you off his hands."  
  
"Thank you...for rescuing me." Chloe offered Lex a feeble smile. She  
lay back on the bed, the Aspirin and relief that something horrible   
hadn't happened because of her stupidity, hadn't done much to relieve  
the dull thudding of her head. "I can't believe I got drunk on two  
lousy drinks. At least I think it was only two drinks...I only   
remember two...I really only intended to have one, but that guy made me  
nervous."  
  
"You should have listened to your nerves. You weren't drunk, you were  
drugged. Rothman had the bartender spike your drink with GHB." Lex  
waited for Chloe to realize that she had not just done something stupid  
like get a little tipsy and give some moron the opportunity for date  
rape. She had put herself in a dangerous situation that not only would  
have gotten her raped, but it could also have gotten her killed. Every  
muscle in his body tightened and quivered with indignation when she  
continued to just lay there. She didn't get it. "I'll leave you alone  
to think about it. There's a bathroom with a shower behind that door  
to your right. I'll go downstairs and get you something to eat -  
something light - and then we'll discuss this further." Lex turned and  
left the room while he was still in possession of some of his famous  
'cool.' He wanted to shake her. He wanted to yell at her the things  
that Rothman would have done to her if he hadn't shown up. He wanted  
to lock her in one of Luthor Manor's extensive guest rooms until she  
promised to never do anything that stupid again. Lex had a sinking  
feeling that Chloe would not give up her pursuit of a story on the  
Rothman's and Sesca's death - it wasn't her style. He could understand  
that, giving up wasn't Lex Luthor's style either.  
  
*****  
  
Who the hell did Lex Luthor think he was? Chloe rolled her eyes at her  
misty reflection in the bathroom mirror as she gingerly toweled her  
hair dry. Obviously he thought he was Lex Luthor, son of Lionel   
Luthor, the owner of most of Smallville and Metropolis and the employer  
of most of the people around, including her father. But that didn't   
make him the boss of her. Chloe scowled at herself. She would just   
have to make that clear to Mr. Bossy.  
  
Chloe turned to get dressed. While she had been in the shower a maid  
had knocked on the door and left some clothes, a pair of black   
drawstring shorts and a red silk shirt that obviously belonged to Lex,  
and had taken the clothes she had worn the night before to be   
laundered. For a while, Chloe had been nothing but grateful to Lex -  
he had saved her virtue after all, no matter how archaic the notion  
sounded - but the warm, pounding water of the shower had cleared her  
head. Without the throbbing thud obscuring her thought processes, she  
could fully appreciate Lex's condescending attitude. She didn't like  
it.  
  
"Should have listened to your nerves. Leave you alone to think about   
it. We'll discuss this later," Chloe muttered to herself and with each  
word of Lex's she reiterated her anger grew. She was not one of his  
mindless floozies who needed to be told what to do. She was a reporter  
and could fend for herself from now on thank you very much. She   
wouldn't make the same mistake twice with Nicholas Rothman...if she got  
the chance. What had Lex told him? Did he tell him her real name?   
That she was a reporter? Well, she wasn't going to get her answers   
glaring at her reflection. It would be much more satisfying to direct  
her anger toward the cause of it. Chloe pulled open the door and   
stepped back into the bedroom.  
  
"Feeling better?" Lex stood with his hands clasped behind his back,  
looking out his window. His profile was irritatingly calm and   
authoritative.  
  
Chloe swallowed the urge to scream. It would only make her look like  
the child Lex insisted on treating her as. "Did you blow my cover and  
tell Nicholas Rothman who I am?"   
  
"I take it then that you are not going to drop this ill-advised foray  
into investigative journalism?" Lex turned away from the window to  
look at Chloe. For a moment he forgot why he was so annoyed with her.  
She was stunning. Anger electrified her eyes and heated her cheeks,   
the rosy blush nicely complimented by the deep red of his shirt. If   
Clark could see her now, he would scrap the letter 'L' as his favorite  
initials. Of course if Clark could really see her now in his bedroom,  
then he would doubtlessly have ended up with a broken nose and a few  
less teeth. It was probably best that he keep his mind on the matter  
at hand - keeping Chloe safe and out of trouble. "What is the Torch's  
interest in the Rothman's?"  
  
"Francesca Rothman was murdered and its my duty as a reporter to tell  
the truth to the public." Some of Chloe's indignation left her as the  
wonderful smell of coffee wafted over to her. She immediately crossed  
over to the breakfast tray set up by the bed.  
  
"Okay, and now that you've fed me the journalistic platitude, why don't  
you tell me the real reason why this is so important to you?" Lex  
walked away from the window and settled into the chair he had spent  
most of the night in. He watched Chloe get comfy on his bed with her  
coffee and toast. She was going to get crumbs all over his sheets.  
  
"I'm sure Clark told you all about Principal Kwan taking the Torch   
away from me because of my meteor stories, right?" Chloe waited for  
Lex's nod before continuing. Now that he was treating her like a   
reasonable adult and not being condescending, her anger was fading  
fast. The coffee helped too. "Well, there is this award, you see -  
the Ryan Award for Journalistic Achievement - I thought that if I won  
it...."  
  
"Then if Kwan felt the need to remove you as editor again he would have  
to justify his reasons to the school board." Lex nodded. She was on   
the right track - winning that award would give her a certain amount  
of power. "You could write your meteor stories without fear of  
reprisal."  
  
"Exactly." Chloe smiled at Lex. She knew he would understand.   
Acquiring power was second nature to a Luthor. She brushed some crumbs  
off the maroon comforter. "So, did you tell him who I am?"  
  
"No, I just told him your real age." Lex sighed. The wheels were  
already turning in Chloe's head, spinning damage control for the   
information he had given Rothman. "But that doesn't matter because  
you, Miss Sullivan, are not setting foot back in Bacchanalia until you  
actually are twenty-one."  
  
"I thought that after what happened last night we were on a first name  
basis?" So much for being treated like a reasonable adult. She should  
have known Lex would revert to form and start handing out edicts. "I  
don't have to go during business hours. I can tell him that I forgot  
something and that will at least get me back into his office."  
  
"To finish off what he started last night? Because if you go back to  
Rothman, that's what he'll expect." Lex's jaw clenched. Locking   
Chloe in his room was beginning to look like a great idea. If it was  
the only way to keep her away from Rothman...he could always tell her  
father that he had sent her on a tour of the Intruder for a few days.   
"You are not going back to the club. As Gillian McKay or yourself."  
"Or what? You'll tell my Daddy on me?"   
  
"Yes." It was a bluff. Lex really couldn't see himself sitting down  
with Gabe Sullivan and telling him that his headstrong daughter had  
gotten herself drugged and almost raped and was insisting on putting  
herself in the exact same position to have it happen again. Besides,  
he doubted that the man could control Chloe anyway. Gabe was an easy-  
going, nice man and Lex had no doubt that his daughter could steamroll  
over him and get her way any time.   
  
"No, you wouldn't." Chloe called his bluff. She didn't know any   
details, but from some of the things Clark had said, she gathered that  
Lex had been quite the hellraiser as a teenager. Hellraisers didn't  
snitch. Chloe sat up straight and met Lex's calm stare.  
  
Lex shrugged. It had been worth a try. "I have never taken you to be  
a stupid person, Chloe. Rothman only sees women in one way and one  
position. You won't get anywhere with him."  
  
Damn him, he was right. The only thing that bothered Chloe more was  
that she hadn't come to that very same conclusion first. Sometimes  
stubbornness and the blind pursuit of a story were more of a liability   
and less of an asset than she cared to admit. "So, now what am I   
supposed to do? I hardly think that probing the popularity of corn   
for the last fifty years at the Farmer's Market will win me the Ryan.  
I need that story."  
  
"I'm sure you'll find another one." Lex instantly regretted the words.  
Chloe's incisive blue eyes trained on him. He suddenly realized what  
his business associates felt like during a meeting when he just screwed  
them on a deal. "No."  
  
"Come on, Lex, it would just be one little interview." Chloe bounced  
a bit on the bed. The questions she would ask him, she didn't know  
where to start. An expose on LuthorCorp would be even better than   
any shady dealings Nicholas Rothman was involved in that may have  
gotten his sister killed. That could end up being nothing - like her  
death really being an accident - but an interview with Lex Luthor  
about LuthorCorp's less than above-board research would be a sure  
thing.  
  
The last thing he needed was Chloe prying into LuthorCorp business  
looking for a story. She would find one. "Out of the question.   
You'll have to look elsewhere." The problem was that looking elsewhere  
would inevitably lead her right back to Rothman. As Chloe had pointed  
out, Smallville was hardly a hotbed of corruption. "Your instincts  
are good. Rothman slipped up last night and said that Sesca had been  
killed."  
  
"And you're telling me this because..." Chloe raised an eyebrow. She  
knew why - Lex didn't want her nosing around his business. It made her  
curious as to what he was up to, but if Francesca Rothman was murdered  
then she had to get to the bottom of it and if it ended with her  
sleazy brother behind bars, so much the better. Investigating Lex  
would have to wait. "I thought I would never get Nicholas Rothman to  
look past my female charms?"  
  
"You wouldn't, but I could. If you went back to the club with me then  
you would be off limits. He might hit on you, but he wouldn't dare try  
a stunt like the one last night. In a social setting Rothman might let  
his guard down and let something else slip." Lex waited while Chloe  
considered his idea.  
  
"Wow. That must be some story you're hiding, but I'll bite. Isn't  
Rothman going to be suspicious if I suddenly turn up as your   
girlfriend?" This was insane. Chloe couldn't believe that she was  
actually plotting with Lex Luthor. She didn't want to dwell on the  
'pretend girlfriend' aspect because it prompted a ticklish twisting in  
her stomach.  
  
"You won't be going back as Gillian McKay." Lex handed Chloe the fake  
ID he had removed from her purse the night before. "You'll be Chloe  
Sullivan. We'll get you a make-over so you'll look older and I'll   
handle the ID. Other than that, it shouldn't matter, Rothman never   
did focus much on the face. He won't remember you."  
  
"I don't know if I should be insulted or relieved." Chloe bit her lip  
and her forehead wrinkled as she feigned deep thought. "I'll go with  
relieved. So, when do we begin our investigation?"  
  
Lex decided that he really liked the way excitement lit up Chloe's face.  
He held no illusion that she had given up on digging into LuthorCorp,  
but at least she was distracted. It would give him enough time to bury  
some things deeper. "Friday. I'll pick you up after school." He  
stood up and held out his hand, bending forward slightly. "It'll be a   
pleasure working with you, Chloe."  
  
Chloe took Lex's hand and shook it. His flesh was delightfully warm.  
For some reason, she had expected him to feel as cool as the manner he  
projected. "It will definitely be interesting working with you, Lex."  
  
Their hands lingered and then let go. Lex straightened. "Now that  
we've sorted that out, I'll give you a ride home. Your things should   
be ready."  
  
"Actually, I kind of need a ride back to Metropolis. Dad is supposed  
to pick me up at my cousin's tomorrow afternoon." Chloe stood up.  
  
"Wouldn't she have called your father when you didn't come home last  
night?" Lex's lips thinned in disapproval.   
  
"She went away for the weekend with her boyfriend. I'm sort of her  
cover and she was mine." Chloe played with the hem of Lex's shirt.   
It was a beautiful shirt, she wished she could keep it. She had been  
such a complete idiot. She had went to Bacchanalia with no one knowing  
where she was or what she was doing. If it hadn't been for Lex....  
  
"Metropolis it is then. I have to stop in with some contracts for  
Rothman to sign anyway."  
  
"Contracts?"  
  
Shame was a relatively rare emotion for Lex. He liked being Chloe's  
white knight and he didn't want anything to diminish that experience.  
Now his business deal with Rothman seemed cruelly opportunistic, like  
he had violated her in some way. "I, uh, I made a deal with Rothman.  
In exchange for helping him with you, he would sign a contract with  
LuthorCorp to supply the club with any material or provisions it might  
need. At my price."  
  
"Are you going gouge him?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Good." Chloe smiled at the shocked expression on Lex's face. She  
had caused him to actually emote! She deserved a gold star and he  
deserved an explanation. "What he did to me was wrong and he's   
probably done it to a lot of women. Thanks to you, he didn't actually  
r..rape me, so the police couldn't really do anything even if I did  
report it. You gouging him in a business deal is really the only   
justice I can get right now."  
  
She had done it again. Caught him completely and totally off guard.  
Lex smiled. It wasn't his trademark smirk, it was an authentic smile.  
Her unpredictability was refreshing and all the more reason for him to  
keep a very close eye on her. He was genuinely looking forward to   
this crazy scheme. Especially since it involved spending more time  
with Chloe.  
  
To be continued.... 


	3. Chapter Three

Part Three  
  
Being normal was difficult. For the next three days, Chloe had   
breakfast with her Dad, caught the bus to school, went to class, worked  
on the Torch, and hung out with Clark and Pete like she usually did.  
Inside, nothing was routine. Before, her thoughts had centered on the  
paper and Clark, now all she could think about was Bacchanalia and Lex,  
mostly Lex. Like the rising waters of a river in a rainstorm, thoughts  
of Lex flooded Chloe's brain. She would catch herself daydreaming   
about the curve of his lips when he smirked or the intensity of his  
gaze. For some reason, his eyes captivated her and Chloe couldn't stop  
picturing them.   
  
"So, have you thanked the little people yet?" Pete's voice intruded on  
Chloe's reverie and she was jerked away from Lex Luthor's eyes and back  
to the Torch's office.  
  
"What?" Chloe looked blankly at Pete and Clark's grinning faces. Even  
Lana's beautiful features were enhanced by her amused smile.  
  
"You have that look in your eye that you get when you're practicing   
your acceptance speech for the Pulitzer," Clark explained.  
  
"Yeah, here's a Kleenex for the drool," Pete added and handed Chloe a  
tissue.   
  
"Oh, sorry." Chloe felt her cheeks heat up in a blush and she crumpled  
the tissue in her hand. Writing and its future accolades had been the  
furthest thing from her mind, not something that happened very often.  
"I guess I spaced. Have we found a filler for the half inch on page  
three?"  
  
"Why don't we just make the words bigger?" Pete suggested, only half  
in jest. He loved Chloe and he enjoyed working on the paper with her  
and Clark, but he loved football more. He glanced at the clock,  
practice was in twenty minutes.  
  
Chloe frowned at Pete. "We are not messing with the font on MY paper  
just so you can make it to goon practice on time."  
  
"Then why don't you fill it with a short editorial. You can finally  
write that article on how very, very, very, very, very, very, very,  
very underfunded the drama club is." Clark tried to help his friend  
out of the hot seat by directing Chloe's wrath onto himself.  
  
"That's only because they're also very, very, very untalented." Chloe  
pulled up her miscellaneous file, it was where she kept all the   
inconsequential fluff pieces. She might find something that wasn't  
too dated to fill the space. She was afraid that if she tried to   
write something new it might turn out to be a sappy monologue on the  
way Lex's eyes subtly changed color with his moods. "Be serious, guys,  
I want to finish this tonight."  
  
"I have a suggestion." Lana's soft voice was still a bit tentative.  
After the whole Principal Kwan fiasco, Lana had decided that she did  
want a position on the Torch, she just didn't want to step on Chloe's  
toes again. She sat down on the edge of the desk. "You could run that  
review Marcie wrote on the cheerleaders last half-time show."  
  
"That self-serving, badly written, propaganda? Lana, it rhymes!   
There is no way that crap is going anywhere near my paper. I won't   
even grace my garbage with its presence...." Chloe halted her tirade  
in midstream when Lana could no longer hold in the giggles. She was   
being teased. Clark and Pete were laughing too. Chloe threw her hands  
up in mock frustration. "Didn't you hear me say that I want this done  
tonight? I guess if you want something done, you have to do it   
yourself."  
  
"Good help is hard to find." Lex walked into the Torch's office, his  
hands stuck casually in his pockets. They all looked toward him at the  
sound of his voice. Clark was leaning over Chloe, his hand on her  
shoulder.  
  
"Eyes are the window to the soul," Chloe said without thinking. She  
shrugged lamely at the odd looks her friends gave her. "I know that  
cliche has nothing to do with the 'work' theme we had going, but I  
like it. So, what brings you by the Torch, Mr. Luthor?"  
  
"Nothing in particular, Miss Sullivan." Just you, Lex added silently  
to himself. He was concerned that she might be suffering from some   
after-effects of the drugs Rothman had slipped her. He also wanted to   
make sure that she hadn't decided to investigate Rothman further on her  
own. But what he really wanted was to see her again. Lex had tried to  
focus on work, but his mind always drifted back to Chloe. More   
specifically, he thought of her laying in his bed so deathly still and   
pale. It haunted him.  
  
"Are we finishing this or not?" Pete turned his back on Lex. He   
frowned at Chloe. Sometimes she went too far to get a story and being  
friendly to Lex Luthor was definitely too far. It was bad enough that  
Clark was all buddy-buddy with him. Besides, he didn't like the way  
Rich Man looked at his best girl. "I thought you wanted this done   
tonight?"  
  
Unaware of the tension behind Pete's words, Lana smiled at Chloe, a   
curious gleam in her eye. "Why the sudden rush to finish this before  
the weekend? Got a hot date?"  
  
A wave of crimson immediately spread across Chloe's cheeks and she  
ducked her head down to stare at the computer keyboard, but not before  
she caught the expressions on Clark and Pete's faces. Incredulous  
shock. It was kind of insulting, she was a fairly attractive girl.  
At least she thought she was. Chloe dared a glance toward Lex. He was  
smirking with amusement. The guy really needed to find a new   
expression. "Don't you have football practice, Pete? I can handle it  
from here."  
  
"It wouldn't be right, making you do all the work, Chloe." Clark  
frowned and stuck his hands in his pockets. He scuffed his sneakers  
on the floor. "Who are you going out with?" It was a perfectly   
legitimate question, not a jealous one. After all, her last dating  
prospect did try to freeze her death.  
  
"No one," Chloe answered quickly. She flipped desperately through the  
computer files, hoping an appropriate one would pop up and put an end  
to this awkwardness. "I'm, uh, visiting my cousin Gillian this  
weekend."  
  
Clark's frown deepened. "Again? Didn't you visit her last weekend?"  
  
Sometimes Clark could be maddingly perceptive, especially when you   
didn't want him to be. Why couldn't Lana break a nail and require his  
full attention? Chloe gave up her search for a filler piece and swung  
her chair around to face Clark. "She broke up with her boyfriend and  
wanted to spend a girls weekend."  
  
"And she asked you?" Pete grinned.  
  
"Go to football practice." Chloe pointed at the door.  
  
Pete gave Chloe a mock salute. "I'm out of here, Boss." He skirted  
around Lex and bolted out the door.  
  
"I thought she had just started dating this guy? Doesn't she break up  
with someone twice a month?" Clark wouldn't let the subject drop. He  
had never seen Chloe blush this much or be so flustered. She might be  
a great reporter, but she was also a terrible liar.  
  
"She really liked this guy. God, Clark, what's with the third degree?  
I thought I was the ace reporter?" Chloe tried to make her voice light  
and teasing, but a bit of the exasperation she felt filtered through.  
It was nice that Clark was concerned, but did he have to treat her like  
a child in front of Lex? It was bad enough that he was her 'hot date'  
for the weekend, he didn't need to witness Clark's big brother routine.  
He might decide to join in and the last thing Chloe wanted was Lex  
acting like her brother.  
  
"Why don't you tell him the truth, Miss Sullivan?" Any amusement Lex  
experienced because of the situation was immediately curbed by the   
worry reflected so earnestly in Clark's eyes. Clark was afraid that   
Chloe was in trouble, and she had been, but Lex didn't want Clark   
charging to the rescue. He was Chloe's white knight, not Clark, and he  
would keep her safe while she pursued her story. The last thing he   
wanted was for Chloe to view Clark as her hero. It would only nourish  
the crush she already harbored for her best friend.  
  
"And what would that be, Mr. Luthor?" Chloe's eyes snapped in his  
direction and Lex loved the tight sharpness of her tone when she said  
his name.  
  
"I have no idea, but it's obvious that you are a terrible liar. You'll  
have to work on that if you want to go far in investigative   
journalism."  
  
"Maybe you can give me some pointers sometime." A bad liar! Chloe was  
incensed. She would show him how terrible she was at lying. Nicholas  
Rothman and the guy at the Metropolis University Student ID office had  
bought her lies. If she could lie to them, she could lie to Clark.  
"Okay, fine, I was lying. Gillian didn't break up with her boyfriend.  
She set me up with his younger brother and I didn't want to say   
anything until after I had actually met the guy."  
  
"So, you do have a date?" Lana's smile widened. Finally, something  
that she and Chloe could bond over. Lana wasn't quite sure why she was  
so desperate to be Chloe's friend. Maybe it was because Chloe wasn't  
exactly jumping at the opportunity to be Lana Lang's best friend. She  
knew if she could earn Chloe's friendship, it would mean something and  
there would be no danger of Chloe worshiping her like Tina Greer had.  
"I could help you pick out something to wear. Do you want to go   
shopping tomorrow after school?"  
  
"Actually, Gill and I have that covered." Chloe watched Lana's face  
fall and suffered a twinge of guilt. Usually, blowing off Lana wasn't  
a cause for concern, but she was making an effort at friendship for   
some unfathomable reason and she wasn't as bad as Chloe had originally  
thought. "But Gill's taste can be a bit scary, so a back-up would   
probably be a good idea."  
  
"Great! Do you want to meet here after last class?" At Chloe's nod,  
Lana beamed. She jumped off the desk and gathered up her books. "I  
really should go now, I promised Nell I would meet her at the flower  
shop. I'll try to think of something to fill that space and maybe we  
can get it done tomorrow afternoon before we shop."  
  
"There will be no need for that, I think I can help Miss Sullivan with  
her empty space. Why don't you accompany Lana to the flower shop,  
Clark?" Lex could see Clark's indecision. Go with the girl of his  
dreams or stay with his best friend and find out what was bothering  
her. He doubted that Clark suspected his interest in Chloe yet. Not  
that Clark had anything to worry about, there was no way Lex was going  
to act on any attraction he might feel toward Chloe. She was just a  
teenager. "LuthorCorp is sponsoring several summer internships for  
motivated, creative students."  
  
That clinched it. Chloe had her filler piece and she was obviously   
just nervous and embarrassed about this blind date her cousin had set  
up. Clark didn't blame her, Gill's scary taste ran beyond clothes, but  
Chloe had agreed to this date and it wasn't his place to stop her.   
"Okay. I'll walk with you, Lana."  
  
Chloe waited until Clark and Lana were gone and well out of earshot   
before looking directly at Lex. She pointed an accusing finger at him.  
"Not one word about it, Mr. Luthor." Chloe had to bite her lip to   
keep from smiling at his smug expression. "And wipe that smirk off   
your face too, buster. Is LuthorCorp really sponsoring internships?"  
  
"Of course." Lex sauntered further into the room. He stopped in front  
of the one window that graced the Torch's office. The afternoon light  
glanced off one side of his face, leaving the other in shadow. The   
look suited him. "The internships will last for six weeks and they'll  
be in various departments and businesses that LuthorCorp owns. I   
believe there will be one at the Inquisitor. Perfect for a Ryan Award  
winner."  
  
"I haven't won yet." Chloe glanced up from her computer screen. She   
had opened up her word processing program as soon as Lex had confirmed  
the filler story and had been busy formulating his information into  
a brief news article.  
  
"You will." Lex caught Chloe's gaze and held it. That night, when she  
had briefly regained consciousness, she had said he had pretty eyes.  
No one had ever told him that. His mother had loved his hair, his   
bright orange carrot hair. He had hated it and had wished it gone many  
times. After the meteor shower, when he had gotten his wish, he had  
heard his mother crying by his hospital bed. Guilt over her tears   
consumed him and he vowed to never wish for anything ever again.   
Before he could stop himself, Lex wished Chloe would say it again when  
she wasn't groggy and under the influence of drugs.  
  
His eyes were striking, breath-taking. Chloe couldn't tell if they  
were blue or green. They were intense. She felt a weird sense of   
deja-vu, like she had stared into Lex's eyes before. "Lex..."  
  
"Hey, guys." Lana breezed back into the office. "Sorry to interrupt,  
I forgot my address book." Lana's gaze shifted from Chloe to Lex and  
back again. It was the strangest thing. Lex was standing at least  
four feet from Chloe, but Lana could swear that she had just   
interrupted something...intimate.  
  
The pretty mauve book was easy to spot among the clutter of Chloe's  
desk. She picked it up and held it out to Lana. "Here you go." Chloe  
wasn't sure if she wanted to scream at Lana for interrupting or thank  
her for stopping her from saying or doing something extremely stupid.  
Chloe wasn't even sure what it had been that she was going to say.  
Could you even tell a man he had pretty eyes?  
  
"Well, I believe I have you all the information you require, Miss   
Sullivan. If you have any more questions, you can reach me at this  
number." Lex scribbled something on a card as he walked toward Chloe.  
Their fingers brushed as he handed her the card.  
  
"Thank you, Mr. Luthor." Chloe looked down at the grey card with the  
LuthorCorp logo on it. Lex had written in another number and 'Call me'  
on it. She looked up at him and nodded. "I'll do that."  
  
"Good." Lex turned to leave, but paused in the doorway. "I've noticed  
that there isn't much in the way of clothing stores in Smallville,  
especially ones that would have the appropriate apparel for a hot   
date. I have a business meeting with my father in Metropolis tomorrow  
afternoon, would you girls like a ride into the city?"  
  
"No thanks," Lana answered before Chloe could. "Nell is going to   
Metropolis tomorrow for a flower show. We can go with her."  
  
"Thanks, anyway, Le...Mr. Luthor." Chloe smiled demurely. She was  
getting used to this, Lex was ceasing to fluster her. "I'm sure my  
hot date will appreciate the gesture."  
  
Again Lana had the distinct impression that a whole different  
conversation than the one she heard was going on between Lex and Chloe.  
She managed to smile and wave at Lex as he left the Torch office and  
then cast a speculative glance at Chloe. She had already returned to  
newspaper editor mode and was fitting the blurb into the space in the  
edition. Lana wouldn't get anything out of her now, but shopping was  
always conducive to girl talk.  
  
*****  
  
The LuthorCorp building in Metropolis was an imposing glass tower that  
loomed over the city. Lionel Luthor's office suite was at the very   
top. Lex had made many trips up the elevator, the last time had been  
to find out he had been banished to Smallville. This time he had no  
idea why his father had summoned him. Everything was working   
smoothly at the fertilizer plant. Unless his father had found out   
about the other projects he was working on. Or about Chloe and what  
had happened at Bacchanalia. There was no use worrying about it, he  
would find out soon enough.  
  
Lex walked out of the elevator and crossed the large reception area.  
He nodded and smiled at the beautiful redhead behind the desk. She was  
new and not much older than him. "Hello. I'm Lex Luthor. My father  
requested an audience." He smiled his most charming smile.  
  
"Rebecca Chase. It's nice to meet you, Mr. Luthor. You're expected."  
She smiled back and nodded at the closed door.  
  
"Thank you." Lex didn't bother to stay and flirt. If she was behind  
the desk here, then she was also in his father's bed. He walked into  
his father's office to find him on the phone.  
  
While he waited, Lex took the opportunity to wander around his father's  
office. There was a well-stocked bar in the corner with a comfortable  
conversation area furnished with leather chairs. Adjacent to it was  
the floor to ceiling window with an impressive city view. Lex stopped  
at a painting that hung on an opposite wall. It was a fashionable  
abstract by some new artist that was 'in' right now. It used to be a  
stormy seascape that his mother had given his father for their  
anniversary. After her death, Lionel had the painting replaced with   
various artistic whims that were sure to impress his business   
associates. Lex had found the seascape in the basement of the office  
building. It hung in his office in Smallville now.  
  
"Lex, you arrived on time and I didn't have to send Dominic to fetch  
you. Impressive." Lionel smiled at his son when he turned his   
attention toward him. It wasn't a warm, proud parent smile, but rather  
a sly, wolfish sneer.  
  
"Thank you, Dad. Why exactly have I been permitted to darken the door  
of the illustrious home office?" Lex walked to the desk. He didn't   
sit down in the chairs provided.  
  
"An update." Lionel sat back and tented his fingers. "How are   
things?"  
  
"I send in weekly reports. Don't you read them?" His father was up to  
something. Lex was fairly certain the old man didn't know anything   
about his extracurricular activities - business or otherwise - but he  
suspected that they existed. This was a fishing expedition, only not  
one that fathers and sons usually enjoyed.  
  
"They tell me about the business, not you." Lionel stood up and walked  
over to the bar. He made himself a drink and surprisingly poured one  
for his son as well. "How is Smallville treating you? Are you still  
friends with the Kent boy?"  
  
There was definitely something going on. His father only cared about   
his son's life when he was in trouble. Lex warily took the drink from  
his father. He didn't like the offhand question about Clark. "Of  
course. Clark saved my life."  
  
"Yes, he did." Lionel took a sip of his drink. "Have you met anyone  
special in Smallville?"  
  
Now that was a strange question. "Why? Are you looking for a new  
mistress?" Lex allowed bitterness to creep into his voice to make his  
father think he was still upset over Victoria. Lionel could not find  
out about Chloe. He wasn't afraid that his father would try and   
seduce her - sixteen was a bit too young - but that was the problem.  
She was too young for Lex too and Lionel would do everything in his  
power to keep her away from him. His father would see Chloe as a   
potential scandal - Lex Luthor Seduces Highschool Girl - and he would  
use her father's job as leverage to make her go away.  
  
"Lex, we both know Vicky meant nothing to either of us." Lionel's  
eyes narrowed on his son. "You're up to something. You've been too  
content in Smallville. Something or someone had been keeping you   
busy."  
  
"I'm sorry if my happiness disturbs you, Dad, but I've taken a liking  
to the country. As long as I'm exiled there, I might as well make the  
most of it." Lex set his drink down. "Haven't you heard of time off  
for good behavior."  
  
"Good behavior?" Lionel's eyebrows rose as he gazed speculatively at  
Lex. "Well, I guess congratulations are in order for the Bacchanalia  
deal. You'll have to tell me sometime how you convinced Rothman to  
sign at that price."  
  
Lex stared coolly back at his father without flinching. They had   
played this game of wills before. He really didn't have time for it.  
"Is this family moment over?"  
  
"Yes. You may leave." Lionel waved in dismissal and turned his back   
on Lex to look out at the view.  
  
"See ya, Dad." Lex left the office. He would have to watch his step.  
First his father asks about someone special and then mentions   
Bacchanalia. There was no such thing as coincidence in the Luthor  
world. It was a good thing that he had given Chloe the number to his  
private cell phone so there wasn't a chance that the staff could report  
on his continuing association with her. Lionel couldn't find out about  
his 'date' with Chloe tomorrow night. His father was not above   
destroying his friends to keep his son in line.  
  
To be continued.... 


	4. Chapter Four

Part Four  
  
Lex was in Metropolis. That thought kept running through Chloe's mind  
as she and Lana sifted through the trendy clothes the stores of   
Metropolis had to offer. Lex was in Metropolis. He was meeting with  
his father. That was a sobering thought. From the few things her  
father had said about the 'meetings' between Luthor father and son,  
she knew that it could not be good. She hoped Lex was okay.  
  
"So, is this a dinner and movie thing?" Lana frowned at a tan suede  
mini-skirt. She held it up for Chloe to get a closer look.  
  
"No." Chloe wrinkled her nose and shook her head. Lana put the skirt  
back. "We're going to a club."  
  
"Really? Which one?" Lana raised an eyebrow. She really didn't see  
Chloe as the clubbing type. "And how are you getting in?"  
  
It would be easier to tell Lana half-truths than to lie outright.  
Chloe had decided to tell her new friend about Bacchanalia, she would  
just leave Lex out of it and lead Lana to believe that Gillian had  
accompanied her to the club. "I have a fake ID. I was at the opening  
last week and apparently the guys want to check it out. Don't tell  
Clark, okay?"  
  
"Of course I won't." Lana shook her head in wonder. "I can't believe  
you, Chloe Sullivan, underage clubbing, the opening of Bacchanalia.  
What was it like?"  
  
Chloe shrugged. "It was a lot of phonies posturing to loud music."  
She spotted a dress on a mannequin a few feet away and crossed over to  
it. It was a dark red dress with a handkerchief hemline and spaghetti  
straps. It would fall just below the knees and in the lower right   
hand side a black lotus flower bloomed. "I like this."  
  
"It's beautiful." Lana gestured toward the salesgirl for help. "If  
you didn't like it, why are you going back?"  
  
"Well...not everyone was that bad." Chloe thought of Lex. He wasn't  
bad at all. She took the dress the salesgirl handed her and went into  
the curtained dressing room.  
  
"Chloe! You met someone at the club, didn't you?" Lana's excited  
voice floated through the curtain. "And you're using this blind date  
as an excuse to see him again. How do you know he'll be at Bacchanalia  
tomorrow night?"  
  
While she pulled her sweater over her head, Chloe was struck with the  
sudden urge to confide in Lana. These feelings she was having for Lex  
were new and confusing. They were so much more complex than her crush  
on Clark. Lana had experience with guys, at least she had more   
experience than Chloe did. "There is a guy. He's older."  
  
"How much older?"  
  
"Old enough to get into Bacchanalia without the benefit of fake ID."  
Chloe slipped on the dress. "The thing is, I can't stop thinking about  
him. I need help with the zipper."  
  
Lana opened the curtain and stepped into the dressing room. She zipped  
Chloe up. "You're smart, Chloe, I'm sure you'll listen to your head  
and not just your heart. If you like him then you shouldn't ignore  
your feelings just because he's older, but you should still be careful.  
Can you trust him?"  
  
"Yes," Chloe said without hesitation. She did trust Lex. "Thanks,  
Lana. So, what do you think?" Chloe turned around.  
  
"You look stunning." Lana smiled. "It's perfect." She backed out of  
the dressing room to let Chloe change back into her street clothes.  
The shopping trip had been a success. She had actually engaged in girl  
talk with Chloe. An older guy...Lana frowned. Lex Luthor was an older  
guy. The way he had looked at Chloe in the Torch's office...now Lana  
knew why she had felt an aura of intimacy between them. That look, it  
was exactly the way Lex had looked at the girl he had taught the   
'breast stroke' to years ago. All of a sudden, Lana wished she could   
take her advice back and tell Chloe to forget about this older guy.  
She wasn't as sure as Chloe that Lex Luthor was trustworthy.  
  
*****  
  
Like most Fridays, this one was moving excruciatingly slow. Chloe   
wanted to scream at Mr. McCallum to let them out early. There was only  
five minutes left and it was study hall. Usually, Chloe worked on   
outlining the next issue of the Torch, but she couldn't concentrate on  
that now. Lex was waiting for her.  
  
The bell rang and Chloe shot up from her seat, out the door, and was  
at her locker before the rest of the class even registered what the  
noise meant. She chucked her books into her locker and slammed the  
door shut, deciding to rely on hope that it locked. She had almost  
everything she needed stored in her book bag, hence the lack of room  
for actual books. "Hey, Chloe, where's the fire?" Clark jogged up to  
her as Chloe broke away from the end of the day crush of students in  
the halls and had reached the front doors. She had been hoping to   
avoid him.  
  
"I don't want to miss my bus to Metropolis." Chloe silently prayed   
that Clark wouldn't offer to accompany her to the bus stop. She was  
supposed to meet Lex at her house - her father would still be at work -  
and she just had to grab her dress. She hoped Lex liked it.  
  
"I'll walk with...." Clark's voice trailed off as he noticed Lex   
standing next to his car, very obviously waiting for someone. "Hey,  
Lex, what brings you by the highschool again?"  
  
"Miss Sullivan," Lex answered simply. He straightened and removed his  
sunglasses. "Your father mentioned that you were leaving this   
afternoon for Metropolis on the bus. I have another business meeting   
in the city this weekend, so I offered my chauffeur services." He  
opened the passenger door of his car and made an elaborate sweeping  
gesture with his hand.  
  
"Thank you, Le... Mr. Luthor." Chloe seated herself in the car. "I  
just need to pick something up from home."  
  
"No problem, and call me Lex." Lex shut the door. He ignored the  
perplexed look on Clark's face and walked around to the driver's side.  
He would have to answer his friend's questions at a later date, there   
would be no avoiding it forever, but there would be time for him to   
think up answers. Answers that wouldn't trouble Clark further.  
  
"Yeah." Clark waved half-heartedly as they drove away. Chloe's  
reasons for accepting a ride with Lex Luthor all the way to Metropolis  
weren't mysterious or disturbing. She was probably hoping to use the  
time and confined space to coax an interview out the elusive   
billionaire. Now, Lex's reasons for offering the ride...Well, Clark  
couldn't think of any that didn't disturb him.  
  
*****  
  
The drive to Metropolis was not the nightmare of long silences and  
inane babble on her part that Chloe had feared. Instead it had been   
rather pleasant. They had discussed strategy for the investigation  
and had even engaged in casual small talk. Who knew Lex was a Buffy  
fan?  
  
"So, where are we going for my magic make-over?" Chloe asked as Lex   
pulled into the parking garage of a large building.  
  
"My apartment." Lex parked in a reserved space. He got out and walked  
around to open Chloe's door. "I thought it best to keep this low key  
so I invited La Bella for a private appointment."   
  
"La Bella?" Chloe let out a low whistle as she got her things from the  
back seat of the car. "Classy. You must think I need a lot of work."  
  
Lex took the garment bag that held Chloe's dress from her and led the  
way to the elevator. He would have to choose his words carefully. He  
knew that Chloe wasn't fishing outright for a compliment as most of the  
women his social circle would be doing. She was an insecure high  
school girl who spent too much time with oblivious boys like Clark and  
Pete whose inattentiveness left her with a warped view of her own  
attractiveness. If Lex told her that she was incredibly beautiful,   
she wouldn't believe him and immediately wonder what his motive was for  
such an extravagant compliment. "You don't need any 'work' at all,  
Chloe. What you need is to change your look enough that Rothman won't  
recognize you. La Bella will bring out the sophistication and  
refinement in your features that maturity will one day bring you."  
  
"Thanks, Lex." Chloe didn't know what else to say. She watched Lex   
put a key in a lock instead of pressing a button for a floor. They   
were going to the penthouse apartment of course. "It isn't the actual  
La Bella though, just one of her stylists, right? Because I heard   
she retired."  
  
"She did, but she's doing this as a favor to me. She was my mother's  
stylist."  
  
"She must really be fond of you." Chloe was oddly touched that Lex  
would share that information with her. That he would introduce her to  
one of his mother's friends. The elevator reached their destination   
and they entered the apartment. Chloe hung back a bit as Lex walked   
across the front room and disappeared through a door. She was   
starting to feel a bit apprehensive. She was alone with Lex in his  
apartment. She was alone with an older man that she was incredibly  
attracted to and - if she was reading the intensity of some of their  
interaction right - a man who returned her attraction.   
  
"This is your room for the weekend." Lex walked back into the room to  
find Chloe still standing by the elevator with her jacket on. "I  
thought we could go for dinner before La Bella arrives. Do you have a  
particular place you like?"  
  
"Actually there is." Chloe grinned. She did have a favorite   
restaurant in Metropolis that she dragged her Dad to the few times they  
visited the city. It was a fifties era diner with a jukebox and pink  
neon decor. She wasn't exactly sure how Lex was going to fit in with   
his expensive suit, but she was going to find out.  
  
*****  
  
This is what a king felt like. Nicholas Rothman stood at the top of  
the stairs that led up to his offices and surveyed his kingdom.   
Bacchanalia was Metropolis' hotspot, the place to be seen, and he had  
built it. He had turned his 'deviant, irresponsible lifestyle' into  
profit. He wasn't the screwed up ne'er-do-well loser his father   
frequently accused him of being. Bacchanalia would prove it.  
  
The music throbbed. The lights and lasers pierced the smoky darkness  
in irregular intervals. The people drank, danced, and took whatever  
illegal substance was their pleasure. It was only the beginning.  
First Metropolis and then every major city in the United States.   
Everyone would patronize his clubs - movie stars, rock stars, rich   
kids, and anyone else who loved to party - they wouldn't be able to   
help themselves. A neon green light bounced off a bald head and   
Nick's satisfaction laced with bitterness. While he was sure Lex  
had been congratulated for his shrewd business sense, he had to sit  
through one of his father's tirades about being a moron at negotiating  
contracts. And all over a stupid blonde underage whore. Gillian  
McKay. He wouldn't forget that name or Lex's protectiveness for her.  
  
The lure to play host and check out the women brought Nick out of his  
funk and he descended the stairs. It was time to meet and greet in   
the VIP section. Lex was sitting at a private table with a blonde.  
She was a knockout and Lex looked like he wanted her all to himself.  
Nick headed straight for them.  
  
"He's heading this way," Lex whispered a warning in Chloe's ear. He   
couldn't stop himself from placing a soft kiss under her lobe. He told  
himself that it would look good for Rothman and he hoped Chloe believed  
that was his motive as well.  
  
Chloe nodded. She didn't care about Nicholas Rothman. Her thigh was  
pressed up against Lex's as they sat close together in the booth. His  
arm was slung casually across the back, his hand lightly resting on her  
shoulder. Chloe breathed deeply, but the action did nothing to calm  
her nerves. A tight knot of tension had formed in the pit of her  
stomach and she felt this horrible urge to jump out of her seat. She  
turned her head to say something to Lex and found his eyes staring into  
her own. The tension dissipated in an instant. She was safe now.  
  
"Lex, you've graced us with your presence yet again.' Nick stopped at  
the table. Lex looked at him, but the blonde didn't. It rankled him  
that she was so focused on Luthor, but it did give him a chance to  
study her profile. Her hair was swept back with soft tresses framing  
her face and her lips were pink and full - just the way he liked them.  
"And who is your lovely lady friend?"  
  
It was incredible, he actually didn't recognize her. Chloe hadn't  
entirely believed Lex that Nicholas Rothman wouldn't remember her. She  
had suggested a wig or colored contacts, but Lex had nixed those ideas.  
He hadn't even let her put on a damn pair of glasses, insisting that  
her identity was safe. Chloe turned and smiled politely.  
  
"This is Chloe Sullivan, her father is a business associate. Chloe,   
this is Nicholas Rothman, the proprietor of Bacchanalia."  
  
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Rothman." Chloe held out her hand and  
suppressed a shudder as his lips brushed her skin. "Lex has told me a  
lot about you."  
  
"Please, call me Nick, and Lex has told me nothing about you." Nick  
leered at Chloe in that way that had creeped her out before.  
  
"That was intentional." Lex's tone was cold and he stared at Rothman  
until the other man got the message. Chloe was his - off limits. "The  
service has gone downhill since the last time I was here, we don't   
even have drinks yet, Rothman. Considering the price you paid for the  
glasses, I would think you would want to keep them filled."  
  
Chloe watched Nicholas Rothman tense. That was her cue, it was time to  
drive the stake in deeper. Lex had told her that Rothman didn't like  
a challenge - hence the date rape drugs - and really didn't like it   
when a female mocked him. It would almost guarantee a halt to his   
lecherous advances, at least for tonight, so Chloe swallowed her   
pride. "Ooo, Lexie," she cooed. "It's not nice to say such things  
about your friend's stupid mistakes. But then, you're not nice, are   
you?" Chloe giggled the cheerleaders from school, and was surprised to  
find that she could actually convincingly produce the sound.  
  
"Not usually." Lex smiled with his eyes, as they warmed slightly. He  
brushed a piece of hair from her cheek. "Bring the lady a   
Cosmopolitan and I'll have a scotch." He waved dismissively, not   
bothering to even glance in Rothman's direction.  
  
"Thank you," Chloe added with a little chirp and a big fake smile. The  
bimbo act was fun. Rothman turned on his heel and stalked away. Chloe  
turned back to Lex, the dumb blonde persona gone. "Okay, tell me   
again how making him mad is going to give us more information on his  
sister's death?"  
  
"Rothman is an idiot. He doesn't think, he reacts. He'll spend the  
evening out here proving that he's a successful businessman. He'll  
brag to everyone who'll listen about Bacchanalia and the deals he's   
made and those people will talk to us. Oh, and just so you know,  
there are consequences for calling Lexie."  
  
"So, that's how we'll find out who else - besides LuthorCorp - was  
involved in the construction of Bacchanalia. One of them was probably  
involved in Francesca Rothman's death. What consequences?"  
  
That glow he had admired before lit up Chloe's face. Lex leaned back  
in his seat to appreciate it as the waitress stopped at the table and  
set their drinks down. He took a sip and waited for her to leave.  
"Thank you for assuming that LuthorCorp wasn't involved. You'll find  
out the consequences if you dare call me by that name again."  
  
Chloe snorted, a completely unladylike sound that was more adorable   
than the giggle. "I'm not assuming anything. I know that if a  
LuthorCorp employee had even so much as found the body then we wouldn't  
be here. You wouldn't have let me within ten feet of this club and  
the story. And don't think that just because you dared me, I'm going  
to jump at finding out firsthand what these mysterious 'consequences'  
are." Chloe glanced at Rothman, who was chatting animatedly with some  
of his preferred customers, and then back at Lex. It was going to take  
a while before any information filtered back their way and it would   
look strange if she sat here without drinking. "Do you dance?"  
  
"Excuse me?" Lex's brow furrowed in a quizzical frown. He noticed that  
Chloe didn't touch her drink. Good. At least she had learned one  
lesson from her experience and would be more careful in the future  
where alcohol was concerned.   
  
"I asked if you dance. Or does Lex Luthor just sit on the sidelines  
and coolly observe the masses? The eternal suave wallflower."  
  
The comment combined with the endearing quirk of Chloe's lips brought  
an unexpected chuckle from Lex. It was deep and genuine, not a usual  
occurrence. "I don't think wallflowers can be suave. But to answer  
your question - yes, I do dance." Lex shifted in close and couldn't  
resist whispering, low and husky, into her ear, "Would you care to  
dance with me, Chloe?"  
  
A shiver slipped up Chloe's spine. "I would love to." It came out   
more self-assured and steady than Chloe felt. Lex stood up and held  
out his hand. Her jitters were back, but this time it was different.  
Instead of tense and jumpy, she tingled with anticipation. She took  
his hand and slid out of the booth.  
  
Bacchanalia was set up in levels. The highest level was where   
Rothman's office and various storage rooms were located. The next  
level was the VIP section. It was on a raised platform that seemed to  
float from suspended guide wires above the dance floor because everyone  
knew that the 'very important' were meant to look down on everyone  
else. The bar was on a stage that patrons stepped up to on one side  
of the dance floor and the stage for the band was across from it. Lex  
followed Chloe as she made her way down the swaying metal steps of the  
spiral stairway. His eyes followed her hips back and forth in the   
timeless rhythmic motion of the female species. The material of her  
dress clung to all the right places and the dark red color reminded him  
of what she looked like in nothing but his silk shirt. He wondered if  
that was why she had chosen that particular color.  
  
Dancing was a bad idea. Lex could already imagine it. Brushing up  
against each other as they moved to the music, drawing closer and then  
backing away - flirting with their bodies instead of words. BAD IDEA.  
And Chloe must have agreed with him because she grabbed his hand and  
pulled him away from the dance floor. They were standing under the  
'floating' platform. "Chloe?" Instead of explaining herself, Chloe  
pulled him through a door into a darkened stairwell. "Why, Miss  
Sullivan, whatever are you intentions toward me?"  
  
"You wish." Chloe swatted his arm. She started up the stairs. "These  
are the backstairs to the upper level. You said Rothman would stay   
out front all night. This is our chance to go through his files  
and find out exactly who he's dealing with."  
  
Lex had certain misgivings about this plan, but he followed Chloe  
anyway. Given what his earlier thoughts had centered on, he was   
disappointed that she was thinking about her story and not him.   
Although it was a good thing one of them had some sense.  
  
"Come on, Lex." Chloe opened the office door. "See, the door's   
unlocked."  
  
"Well, then Rothman's just asking for an intrepid young reporter to  
break into his files." Lex remained in the doorway. He watched Chloe  
as she sat down at the desk and went to work on the computer. She  
worked quickly and intently and Lex was impressed when the printer  
started zipping out information. "Remind me to never leave you alone  
in my office. You're quite the hacker, Chloe."  
  
"You sound surprised...Lexie." Chloe stood up and turned to the   
printer. The inconvenient thing about dresses was the lack of pockets,  
but luckily Chloe had already thought of that and had decided to go   
with an old movie stand-by. As she was folding the paper into a tiny  
square and about to tuck it into her bra, the door suddenly slammed  
shut. "Lex..." Chloe turned to find Lex right beside her. Before she  
could say or do anything he picked her up and placed her on the desk.  
His lips covered hers as his leg slid between her knees. Chloe   
clutched at his shoulder with her free hand to push him off her, but  
his tongue worked its way through her lips and all her intentions were  
lost. If she had known this was the consequence, she would have taken  
him up on his dare a hell of a lot sooner.  
  
To be continued.... 


	5. Chapter Five

Part Five  
  
There was a reason he was kissing Chloe. Lex was sure of it, but for  
the life of him, he couldn't remember why. It felt good and right and  
so damn hot. He leaned into her and she grasped his arm to keep her  
balance. The edge of a paper scraped the exposed skin of his wrist and  
Lex remembered that he had heard Rothman's voice as he climbed the   
stairs. Deftly, he took the folded paper from Chloe's unresisting   
fingers and tucked it away in his pants' pocket. Then he gently pushed  
her back farther down on the desk, reaching around her for the computer  
keyboard. Unfortunately, that was also when Chloe decided to get a   
little bit bold. Her tongue probed his mouth, hesitantly exploring,  
and Lex really wanted to encourage her efforts. As he caressed her   
tongue with his and coaxed her deeper into his mouth, Lex managed to  
shut down the files Chloe had opened just as Rothman entered the   
office.  
  
"And check the champagne supply. I'm hosting a business meeting on  
Wednesday that's going to be successful... Lex." Rothman stopped a few  
steps into his office. He raised his eyebrow at the two people  
practically fucking on his desk. "Couldn't you have found a room?"  
  
Lex reluctantly released Chloe's mouth and straightened up.   
"Unfortunately, that's one thing your club doesn't provide - you might  
want to look into that given what you've called the place. I thought  
that since we have such a close business relationship, you wouldn't   
mind if I borrowed your office instead." He risked a glance at Chloe.  
She was a bit mussed, her skin flushed a delicious pink, and she  
couldn't take her eyes off some point on the wall above his head.  
  
"By all means, what's mine is yours." Rothman held out his hands in a  
generous gesture. His gaze drifted to Chloe.  
  
"And what's mine stays mine." Lex helped Chloe off the desk. He kept  
his hand on the small of her back as he guided her past Rothman to the  
door. "Shall we continue this at my apartment, Chloe?"  
  
"I hope you enjoyed yourself, Lex. Next time try the sofa. It's   
quite comfortable." Rothman closed the door behind them once they   
were out in the hall.  
  
"Asshole," Lex muttered darkly. Even though his arrival prompted the  
kiss, Lex was still annoyed that Rothman had interrupted it. He could  
still taste Chloe on his tongue, a sweet tang like lemonade with sugar.  
His heart was still beating quickly with excitement - it never did  
that. Chloe still hadn't said anything. She was probably thinking  
about the kiss. "Chloe, I'm sorry...." Once again Lex was caught off  
guard by Chloe pulling him through a door. They were in a storage   
closet. Lex ran his tongue over his bottom lip as he considered the  
possibilities of being alone with Chloe in a storage closet. "Chloe?"  
  
"Do you have that micro-recorder I gave you?" Chloe turned to him.  
She held out her hand expectantly.   
  
Lex reached into the inside breast pocket of his jacket and withdrew  
the device. He handed it to her with a questioning frown. "And what  
will we be recording?" He couldn't suppress the dip in the gutter his  
mind insisted on taking.  
  
"Nicholas Rothman." Chloe grinned. She looked up and pointed to a   
corner. "There's a vent. I noticed it when you were talking to him.  
Help me up."  
  
Amazing. Here he was obsessing over a kiss with a school girl and all  
she could think about was her story. At least Lex wouldn't have to  
worry about his ego getting any larger. He helped Chloe climb up onto  
a chair and then a table. She reached up and flipped open the vent,  
turning on the recorder and setting it on a file cabinet underneath it.  
  
"Goddamn bastard thinks he owns the fucking universe," Rothman's voice  
ranted clearly through the vent. He continued to gripe about Lex and  
Chloe frowned. She hoped he didn't waste too much of the tape   
complaining about Lex. She wanted a story and Lex being a bastard was  
old news. She also needed to focus on a story instead of Lex's hands  
resting on her hips. She needed a distraction so she wouldn't obsess  
about the kiss. No one had ever kissed her like that, her lips still  
tingled with his spicy taste. Of course he had only done it as a   
cover-up for Rothman. He wouldn't kiss her again.  
  
"How much of the Green Persuasion will you need for Wednesday?" Vince,  
the bartender's, voice interrupted Rothman. That piqued Chloe's   
interest. Even though she had been otherwise occupied, she did   
remember Rothman saying something about a business meeting.  
  
"Sample vials for our guests and then one for a demonstration. So,   
that's five - better make it a half dozen."  
  
Lex's fingers flexed on her hips as Chloe raised herself up on her  
tiptoes in excitement. This sounded good and she was already scheming  
about how to get her hands on one of the samples of this 'Green   
Persuasion.' "Were you invited to this meeting, Lex?" Chloe   
whispered.  
  
"No, but it's not surprising when you consider how I shafted him on   
our last business deal. This sounds like an investment meeting." The  
silk of the dress slipped over Lex's fingertips as he caressed his way  
up to her waist and pulled her back down from her toes. He was only  
steadying her so she wouldn't fall.  
  
"So, who do you want for the demo?" Vince was asking.  
  
"Lionel Luthor insisted on bringing his own subject." At the mention  
of his father, Lex's caresses stopped. "Apparently there's a female  
who's immune to his charms. She won't be after a dose of Green  
Persuasion. I don't know how it does it, but this damn drug can make  
anyone do anything."  
  
Vince snorted. "I would have thought the green of Luthor's money would  
be enough persuasion. I can't believe he needs drugs to pick up a   
woman."  
  
"He doesn't, the woman is just to test it. I think he's more   
interested in using it to control his son. Lex will be doing Daddy's  
bidding and not even know why." Rothman chuckled, amused at the  
thought.  
  
Lex's hands dropped from Chloe's waist and she looked down at him,  
missing the contact. He looked like someone had punched him in the   
gut. Or had torn out the little piece of his heart that still yearned  
for an unconditional love from his father. Chloe turned and sat down   
on the desk. She grabbed Lex's arm and drew him to her. "Lex? Talk   
to me." She kept her voice soft and gentle. She wasn't concerned   
about her story or Rothman hearing them. She was worried about Lex.  
Chloe pulled him closer so that he was standing between her legs. She  
kneaded his shoulders, trying to work the tension out of his muscles.  
  
"I thought he admired my will. It was like his - iron, strong." A   
faintly puzzled look creased Lex's brow. "I thought he was proud of   
me...because I was like him. I tried...."   
  
"We don't know that's why your father is interested in Rothman's drug.  
That's just his opinion." Chloe ran her hands up and down Lex's arms.  
"And we both know how smart Rothman is." She offered him an   
encouraging smile and was rewarded with a much weaker smirk than the  
usual sexy quirk of his lips.   
  
"I know my father. Recreational designer drugs are not a wise business  
investment unless you're a drug dealer. He wouldn't want to expose  
LuthorCorp to a government investigation. He would have a personal   
reason for this drug. It would be too risky to use it on his business  
associates - once it wore off they would know he had influenced their  
actions and cut all ties with him." The many reasons for his father's  
interest in a mind-influencing drug occupied Lex's mind. Only one made  
sense. "If this stuff works, he's going to give it to me."  
  
The horrible old bastard. Chloe didn't know Lionel Luthor personally  
- she really didn't want to - but from some of the things she had   
heard, she had known she wouldn't like him. Now she hated him. How  
could he be so horrible to his son? She hated the icy cold look in  
Lex's eyes and the hard line of his jaw. She would give anything to  
erase that look as well as the anger from his soul. She leaned forward  
and kissed him fiercely.   
  
Instead of pulling away, as Chloe had expected, with protests of their  
age differences and other reasons why he wouldn't want to kiss her, Lex  
pressed his body close to hers and tilted her back as he returned her  
kiss. Chloe pushed herself up against him and brought her hands down  
from his shoulders to slip them inside his jacket. As his tongue   
taught her how to taste and duel with his, she smoothed her fingertips  
over the cool silk of his shirt learning the contours of his chest.   
Chloe gasped at the new sensation of Lex molding his hand to her   
breast. His thumb brushed over her nipple and it hardened, eliciting  
soft moans from her. His other hand pushed her dress up her thigh.  
She couldn't believe that all those romance novels she had been ashamed  
of reading and kept hidden in a box under her bed were right. Her   
suddenly molten body zinged with electricity. Chloe was melting in   
Lex's arms like every insipid heroine she had scoffed at in those   
novels and she really didn't care.  
  
*****  
  
The Beanery was bustling as it always was on Friday nights. Teenagers  
recapped the gossip of the week, made plans for the weekend that would  
become the gossip for next week, and generally behaved as if they  
hadn't a care in the world. Lana had a care. And it looked like Clark  
did too. She saw him on the other side of the room, surrounding by his  
social circle as she was hers and wondered if they were thinking of the  
same two people.  
  
Lana had spent most of the day convincing herself that she was wrong.  
Chloe was not infatuated with Lex Luthor. He was not the older guy she  
couldn't stop thinking about. No, the only way Chloe would look at   
Lex twice was if he were on the front page of The Torch. And Lex -   
well he might be attracted to Chloe, but she was too young for him and  
too much of a scandal for him to pursue it. She must have   
misinterpreted everything that was gong on between Lex and Chloe,  
because there was nothing going on. Lana was sure of it now. She   
glanced over at Clark again. He was staring down at his coffee instead  
of paying attention to one of Pete's stories. Pete was gesturing   
wildly to no avail. He clearly needed some help.  
  
"I'm going to say 'hi' to Clark." Lana kissed Whitney on the cheek and  
stood up. She crossed over to Clark, but he didn't look up when she  
stopped at the table. "Hey, Clark. Hi, Pete."  
  
"Oh, hi, Lana." Clark smiled, but it was distracted and only a   
fraction of its usual wattage.  
  
"Hey, Lana, why don't you sit down." Pete scooted over in the booth to  
make room for her. "Maybe you can bring our guy out of his funk. I've  
been trying, but I'm not as pretty as you."  
  
Both Clark and Lana blushed while Pete grinned. "I'll certainly try.  
So, did you see Chloe off at the bus station? I bet she's having a   
great time."  
  
"She didn't take the bus." Clark stared morosely at his coffee. He   
looked up at Lana with a slight frown and worry deeply etched in his  
clear blue eyes. "Lex picked her up after school. He was going to   
Metropolis anyway so he offered to give her a ride."  
  
"And you let her?" Pete yelped and shook his head in disappointment at  
his friend. "Man, Clark, I know you think this guy is your friend, but  
how can you trust him to be alone with Chloe? He could put the moves  
on her."  
  
Clark eyes widened in alarm. "No, Lex wouldn't do that. You saw  
Victoria Hardwick, she's Lex's type - not Chloe. Besides, he cleared   
it with her Dad."  
  
"And Chloe can take care of herself," Lana offered, trying to convince  
herself as well as the guys. She wasn't as sure now that she had  
misinterpreted the looks between Lex and Chloe and Chloe's confession  
that she was attracted to an older guy. "Chloe would stop Lex dead in  
his tracks if he tried anything." At least Lana hoped she would.  
  
*****  
  
It was all about feeling. Sensation. It would surprise a lot of  
people to know that the cool and composed Lex Luthor was little more  
than an exposed raw nerve ending. People thought that he was   
untouchable, that nothing could hurt him, but in fact Lex hurt a lot.  
He felt pain to his very soul and there was nothing in his life that  
provided any kind of soothing balm. Chloe was providing it now with   
her soft lips and warm mouth. Her satiny skin and breathy moans. The  
thump of her heart beneath his hand that went perfectly with the   
thrumming bass of the music below. In her arms the pain was replaced  
with some else. Something he was afraid to define even to himself.  
  
There had been only one other time in his life when it hadn't been just  
sex for Lex. A girl, young and innocent, had captured his heart when  
he was sixteen years old. It had been a naive romance full of   
passion and love. He had thought she was The One. His father had  
disagreed. He had destroyed the girl's family, their reputation and  
finances, and she had been taken away from Lex forever. His father  
wouldn't approve of Chloe. He wouldn't care that she was intelligent  
and spunky. That she had a great smile that made you smile back at her  
no matter what mood you were in. That she had a caring heart and a  
passionate nature. That she trusted him like no other person ever had.  
  
Lex abruptly pulled away from Chloe's embrace. She trusted him and   
what did he do? Took advantage of her in a storage room. "I'm sorry."  
Lex's voice was hoarse with emotion and need. He turned away. He  
couldn't stand to look at Chloe sitting on the table with the skirt of  
her dress hiked up around her thighs, her kiss-bruised lips, and   
tousled hair. It wasn't often that Lex was ashamed of himself, but his  
actions with Chloe were disreputable. She was only in high school.  
  
"I don't hear their voices anymore. They must have left," Chloe said  
softly. Lex heard her climb up on the table and retrieve her tape  
recorder. He heard her sniffle a bit. He had made her cry.  
  
"Chloe." Lex turned around. He helped her off the table and kept a   
hold on her arm even once she was safe with both feet on the floor.  
She refused to look up at him. She fidgeted with the recorder instead.  
Gently, Lex took it from her and put it in his jacket pocket. "It's  
not that I...I mean...." Lex rubbed his hand over his head in   
frustration. He was good with words, they were his friend, why   
couldn't he find the right ones to explain how he was feeling? "I  
don't have a witty comment or insightful philosophy. I care about you.  
I'm attracted to you. You're fun, and intelligent and beautiful, and  
stubborn and persistent. There are so many things, but...."  
  
"It won't work," Chloe finished for him. She smiled sadly at him. "I  
understand."  
  
"We should leave before someone comes back." Lex led Chloe to the   
door. He paused to listen for anyone in the hallway before walking out  
of the room.  
  
"Lex." Chloe tugged at his arm. "We have to get a sample of Rothman's  
drug."  
  
"It's not here." Lex stopped Chloe from heading back to the office.  
"He asked Vince to bring some samples to the meeting on Wednesday,  
remember? We'll have to wait until my father tries to slip some of the  
drug to me. I'll have it analyzed by my people instead."  
  
"Okay." Chloe let Lex lead her down the backstairs and out into the  
club. The pulsating and infectious beat of Enrique Iglesias' 'Can't  
Escape My Love' followed them as they left Bacchanalia. As the waited  
for the valet to bring Lex's car, Chloe sighed. She felt numb. So  
many emotions and thoughts plagued her at the same time she couldn't  
focus on any of them. Lex just stood stoically silent beside her.  
Despite the fact that they were holding hands and the silence was  
semi-companionable, things were awkward between them. She had to break  
the ice and put things back to normal. "Do you want to know a secret?"  
  
"Sure." Lex frowned slightly, not quite understanding where she was  
going and what she was going to say.  
  
"I like this song. It's one of my favorites."  
  
"Ah, so you fell victim to the Latin invasion. Who lured you to the  
dark side? Ricky Martin?"  
  
"I said a secret, not a confession only to be made on your death-bed."  
Chloe rolled her eyes. "I only like this song."  
  
Lex smiled and squeezed her hand. "Your secret is safe with me."  
  
"I know."  
  
To be continued.... 


	6. Chapter Six

Part Six  
  
It was a terrible business being a King in a land of fools who believed  
themselves to be his equal. Lionel Luthor snorted. No one was a  
Luthor's equal - an important fact that escaped his son. He had  
thought that living in Smallville would bring that lesson home to his  
son, as it had for him many years ago, but no, he had to make friends  
with the Kent boy and earn the respect of the workers at the fertilizer  
plant. The plant had never been more productive.  
  
"Mr. Luthor, I can't impress upon you the importance of having your  
son sign these papers as soon as possible." The condescension in the  
lawyer's monotone voice transmitted smoothly over the speaker phone.  
Lionel sneered at the man's affected self-importance. He knew how  
important the papers were and he didn't need a pissant just out of law  
school to remind him.  
  
"I called to see if you've made any progress with Cristophe, Henderson,  
not get an admonishment about my personal business," Lionel said  
coldly. None of this would be necessary if Lex had done as expected  
and ran the fertilizer plant into the ground where it belonged. Of  
course, the real blame lay with his dead wife and blasted father. If   
his father hadn't seen fit to gift Lillian with the 'family' business  
on their wedding day and Lillian hadn't put that codicil in her will   
in order to level the playing field between father and son then he   
wouldn't have to go to such drastic measures.   
  
Green Persuasion. Lionel opened his desk drawer and picked up a small  
vial filled with green liquid that emitted a soft glow. It was a   
horrible, silly name for something so powerful. That idiot Rothman   
would make millions pedaling it as the new drug of choice for the club  
scene. It had been tempting to invest - the drug did actually work and  
the other possibilities for its use were intriguing - but Lionel   
couldn't risk his empire by getting involved with a petty drug dealer.  
Rothman Junior would screw up eventually and end up in jail and there  
was no way Lionel was going to give the authorities a reason to start  
snooping into LuthorCorp business.  
  
"Basically Cristophe is waffling on the final details of the   
contracts," Lionel tuned back into Henderson's drone. It was at this  
point that the young man paused and made the mistake thinking that   
reiterating his concern over Lillian Luthor's will would show his  
initiative and perseverance. "The codicil in your wife's will was very  
explicit, Mr. Luthor. If you don't have him sign the Smallville plant  
back to you it could jeopardize your controlling interest in   
LuthorCorp."  
  
"Henderson, I don't need a pompous little bastard to tell me things I  
already know. If you want to continue working for LuthorCorp than I  
suggest that you iron out the final details with Cristophe and forget  
about my personal business." Lionel snapped off the speaker phone.  
His wife's will lay on the desk before him. Her wishes had been quite  
clear. When he turned twenty-one Lex was to assume control of the  
Smallville fertilizer plant. Of course when Lionel had handed Lex the  
control, he had made it out to be a punishment for his son's immature  
and sometimes illegal behavior. Lex had no idea that his father had no  
choice in the matter. And it didn't stop there. If Lex successfully  
ran the plant for a year than the codicil went on to give Lex Lillian's  
shares in several companies that her father had owned and bequeathed  
her upon his death. That would give Lex a controlling interest in   
several key companies in the Luthor empire. Lionel was sure that his  
son wouldn't hesitate to use his newfound power against him. The only  
way to stop it was to have Lex sign the plant over to him and he  
wouldn't do that willingly.  
  
It was rare that Lionel misjudged people, but he had to admit that he  
had seriously misjudged his son. He had taken him for a partying  
playboy with only a hint of the Luthor ruthlessness. The truth was  
Lex had it in spades. His son was not one to be trifled with and  
Lionel couldn't help but be proud, but Lex was no match for the master.  
He did have his mother's heart and he cared about people - a weakness  
that would undermine Lex's quest for power and thirst to best his   
father. Lionel only had to find out who was important to his son and  
use them and then maybe this drug wouldn't be necessary.  
  
*****   
  
Hospitals were horribly boring. Chloe sighed and stared up at the   
white ceiling that looked yellow in the dim light. Visiting hours were  
over and she had convinced her father to go back home, that she was  
fine. Chloe shifted to get more comfortable on the hard hospital bed  
and winced as pain shot up and down her arm. Okay, maybe she wasn't  
completely fine. Her arm hurt like hell, her head ached, and every  
time she closed her eyes men in black ski masks grabbed her and pushed  
her and she felt like she was falling. But her father didn't need to  
know that and neither had Clark. The poor guy had looked so guilty  
that Chloe had wanted to cry after one look in his puppy-dog eyes.  
And then she had immediately felt guilty because if it hadn't been for  
her, she and Clark wouldn't have been at Luthor manor that night. It  
had seemed like a good idea at the time, telling Clark that Lex had  
agreed to an interview. It had gotten her best friend off her back   
about accepting a 'ride' to Metropolis with Lex and it had been a   
chance to see Lex again. It had also been an excellent way to maneuver  
Lex into said interview. Chloe smiled. Poor Lex had been cornered   
and he had known it. He had looked cute all flustered. Of course, on  
Lex flustered was a slight lift of the eyebrows and a questioning tilt  
of his head. Still, it was sexy as hell.  
  
Staring at the ceiling and thinking about Lex was hardly a productive  
use of her time, pleasant, but not productive. Chloe pushed the button  
that elevated the head of her bed. On the side table among the cards  
and flowers was her laptop and mini-recorder. Her father had finally  
agreed to bring them in after she had whined and pouted for an hour  
earlier that day. She might as well get some work done since sleep   
seemed to be eluding her despite the pharmacological help. She hadn't  
had a chance to listen to the Rothman tape yet. Chloe plugged in some  
earphones and rewound the tape.  
  
"I think he's more interested in using it to control his son."   
Rothman's voice came in clearly on the tape. Chloe sighed with relief.  
She had been afraid that the tape wouldn't pick up anything through the  
vent. "But whatever he wants it for, I'm going to make sure he pays  
for it. This shit isn't cheap to produce."  
  
"I don't know about this stuff." Vince sounded uncertain. "It freaks  
me out with the weird green glow. Are you sure it's safe? What's in  
it?"  
  
Chloe's ears perked up at Vince's questions. They were ones that she  
was curious about the answers to herself. In the background she could  
hear soft whispers and rustling. She couldn't think about that, she  
had to pay attention to Rothman. Of course, it would have been too  
easy if he had answered the bartender's questions. Instead he started  
talking about the club. It was nothing that really interested her -  
liquor orders, cover receipts, band bookings, and reviews they had   
gotten in few party magazines. She and Lex were kissing while they had  
been talking business. The sound of her soft gasp confirmed it. His  
hand was on her breast. Chloe closed her eyes. Her skin tingled with  
each muffled moan and the haunting memory of each caress. Her breath  
caught in her throat and she forced it out in a long breath. Lex had  
been the first man who had ever touched her and kissed her that way  
and she had no basis of comparison, but it had been pretty amazing.  
Even now, just thinking about it and listening to their background  
noises on the tape aroused Chloe's senses. It was like Lex was there   
with her - his lips on hers, his tongue doing delightful things in her  
mouth, and his hand on her shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze.  
Chloe opened her eyes. Lex was standing by her bed. He took his hand  
from her shoulder once he had her attention.  
  
"Visiting hours are over." Chloe unplugged her earphones. Her blush  
swept up her cheeks as hot, furious, and uncontrollable as a brush  
fire. "But I guess that doesn't matter much for you, huh?"  
  
"I do tend to visit after hours." Lex sat down in the visitor's chair.  
He looked exhausted and a bit beaten up. "I wanted to tell you that we  
caught the assholes who did this to you."  
  
"We meaning you and Clark?" Chloe asked the question, but already knew  
the answer. The bruises and cuts on Lex's face and hands were answer  
enough and now she knew where Clark had disappeared to. Her heroes.  
"Is he as beat up as you?"  
  
"You know Clark, not a scratch on him." Lex smiled tiredly and wiped  
a hand over his face. He had been running on anger the last few days  
and it was finally catching up to him. He really should be at home in  
bed, but he had wanted to see Chloe. She would be released from the  
hospital soon and then he would need valid excuses to see her. He  
didn't want to spend his time with her talking about Clark and his lack  
of injuries. He reached into his overcoat pocket and brought out a   
small box. "Here. It might not make you feel like a winning piece of  
horseflesh, but I hope you like it."  
  
"I like the flowers you sent, Lex, you didn't have to get me anything  
else." Chloe took the package. She awkwardly untied the ribbon and   
opened the box with her good hand. It was a beautiful necklace. A  
delicate gold chain held an amber pendant. Encased in the fiery amber  
was a golden quill.  
  
"I would have had the quill embedded in a piece of meteor rock, but   
that seemed a bit too Lana." Lex shifted nervously. "Do you like it."  
  
"Yes." Chloe knew that she really accept the gift, her father would   
have a fit if he knew, but she wanted it. She wanted to have something  
that would forever remind her of Lex. "Will you help me put it on?"  
  
With a smile of relief, Lex helped Chloe put on the necklace. He had  
been afraid she wouldn't accept it. As his fingers brushed over her  
neck, he couldn't help but recall the heated caresses they had   
exchanged in Rothman's storage room. Her skin was so soft. What would  
she do if he kissed her right now? Would she kiss him back? The  
reality of their lives came back to Lex when Chloe looked up at him   
and smiled. Her eye was still fairly black and swollen. She was   
battered, broken, and in the hospital because of him. Those guys had  
broken into his home because he was a Luthor and Chloe had been hurt  
because she had been there. He wasn't good enough for her and he   
never would be.  
  
"Thank you, Lex." Chloe wished she could give Lex a hug, but he moved  
away so quickly. He looked so sad all of a sudden. "Is something  
wrong?"  
  
"No, nothing that can be changed." Lex gave Chloe a reassuring, but  
remote, smile. He was a Luthor and there was no place for a wonderful  
girl like Chloe in his life. He would only hurt her or the people   
around him would do the job for him. It would be best for both of  
them if walked out of this hospital room and had nothing more to do  
with her, but he couldn't let her go. Not yet. He was too selfish  
and he only hoped that she wouldn't get more hurt because of it.  
  
*****   
  
The disturbed dust sparkled like tiny fairy lights in the afternoon sun  
that shone through the window of the Talon. Usually Lana delighted in  
such sights, but now she only sneezed. It was wondrous enough that  
Lex had accepted her proposal to open the Talon as a coffee house. She  
wondered why he had been so generous, actually she worried about it.  
Lana glanced over at Clark. He and Pete were moving an old bench to   
the junk pile they had created near the back.  
  
"So, Clark, how is Chloe?" Lana tried to ask the question as casually  
as she could. Chloe had shown up on occasion, but hadn't been much   
help due to her arm. Coincidently, Lex had always been around to offer  
Chloe a ride home when she tired out.  
  
"Good. Her cast comes off next week." Clark immediately dropped his  
end of the bench once he noticed Pete had let go of his. Apparently  
the bench was heavy, judging from his friend's dubious look. Clark  
smiled uncomfortably. "She's really sorry she can't help out here  
more."  
  
"Yeah." Lana bit her lip. She wasn't exactly sure how Clark would   
react to the idea of a relationship between Lex and Chloe. They were  
both his friends, but Clark had a tendency to be overprotective of  
Chloe and that might not be misplaced if Lex was concerned. "Has Chloe  
ever said anything about her date with her cousin's boyfriend's   
brother? Has she gone out with him again?"  
  
"I don't think so." Clark frowned. "She hasn't really said anything  
about him. When she got back, I just asked her why she had went with  
Lex to Metropolis and she told me about the interview. Then everything  
happened...."  
  
Pete snorted. "Funny how when everything happens a Luthor is involved  
but rarely is the one who gets hurt."  
  
"Pete, it's not Lex's fault that those guys broke into his house and  
hurt Chloe. He was really concerned about her, called in specialists  
and everything." That wasn't exactly true, Lex had been more than   
concerned, he had been frantic - scared even - over Chloe. Clark had  
never seen him lose it like that. If he didn't know any better he  
would think....  
  
"Do you think maybe Lex and Chloe like each other? As in more than  
friends?" Lana ventured.  
  
"No," Clark and Pete both practically yelled.  
  
"Chloe has more sense than that. Any interest she would have in Luthor  
is purely journalistic." Pete was fairly certain that what he said was  
true. Luthor was charming, smart, and rich which might turn some   
girls' heads, but not his Chloe. She was too in love with Clark for   
that, but he could hardly offer that up as a reason why she wouldn't be  
interested in Luthor.  
  
"She's too young. Chloe isn't Lex's type." Clark shook his head.  
  
"What?" Lana frowned at both boys. She couldn't believe how obtuse  
they were when it came to seeing Chloe as a girl. No wonder she had  
such a warped view of herself as unattractive if this was the reaction  
she got day in and day out. Maybe a thing with Lex wouldn't be such a  
bad idea - as long as it didn't go too far. "Pretty, witty, and smart  
girls aren't Lex's type?"  
  
"Well..." Clark scratched his head and shrugged. "Maybe it wouldn't  
hurt to keep an eye on them. Lex would never hurt Chloe...."  
  
"The hell he wouldn't," Pete interrupted furiously. "We need to do   
more than watch them. You have to talk to him, Clark, and let him know  
that if he does anything to Chloe we're going to kick his ass."  
  
This wasn't exactly what Lana had wanted when she had brought the   
subject up. She had wanted someone to be looking out for Chloe, not  
bullying men who were interested in her. "I think that it's a good   
idea to talk to Lex, Clark." Lana smiled. "And we'll all just keep an  
eye on things and make sure that they don't get out of hand."  
  
"Okay, I'll talk to Lex. He'll just tell me I'm insane and that he   
and Chloe are just friends." Clark picked up a garbage bag they had  
filled with debris and hauled it to the dumpster out in the alley. He  
didn't know why the thought of Lex being interested in Chloe bugged   
him. Lex was a good guy despite what other people in Smallville said  
about him and he was Clark's friend. There was no reason why it should  
bother him if Lex was attracted to Chloe, but it did.  
  
*****  
  
"Luthor has the drug. Are you certain he is going to use it on his  
son?" Joseph Rothman glared at his son. The boy was reckless and  
irresponsible, but his worst crime was that he was also stupid. His   
one smart child unfortunately had been born female and therefore  
susceptible to the Luthor charm. Although, she had proven to be useful  
in the end.  
  
"I can't think of any other reason why he would want it. Frannie   
seemed to think that Lex was the target when I told her about Lionel's  
interest in the drug." Nicholas knocked back his drink in one gulp.  
He was standing behind the bar of his empty club. Bacchanalia wouldn't  
open for a few hours yet. He refused to look in his father's direction  
even though he was sitting at table a few feet in front of him. The  
old man would just be glaring at him anyway. Even when he was doing  
things right, he was doing them wrong in the old man's eyes. "She was  
going to tell Lex."  
  
"Yes, and you had to try and stop her on your own instead of calling   
me." The accusation infested Joseph's words. He didn't even have to  
say 'screw up' anymore, it was ingrained in their every conversation.  
"She would have listened to me without the benefit of a drug. I was  
her father."  
  
"It wasn't my fault Frannie died! That batch of the drug was  
defective. Used too much of the green shit in it. How was I supposed  
to know it would make her think she could fly?" Nicholas downed   
another shot.  
  
"Nothing is ever your fault. That's why you'll never succeed." Joseph  
looked down at some papers he had laid out on the table before him. He  
shuffled them and put them in his briefcase with a smile. It was a  
copy of Lillian Luthor's will. At first he had been outraged when   
Francesca had taken a job with the LuthorCorp law firm at Lex Luthor's  
recommendation, but now he saw the advantage. She had been about to   
take these papers to Lex, but her brother had prevented that from  
happening. Instead providence had been allowed to place them in his  
hands and he would use them to decimate Lionel Luthor. "You made sure  
that your transaction with Luthor was recorded?"  
  
"Yes." Nicholas watched as his father left the club without even   
saying good-bye or enquiring about its success. He had done everything  
the old man had ordered him to and had done a little something on his  
own. He had made sure that Lionel Luthor had went home with a vial of  
the defective drug. Lex was going to find out if he could fly.  
  
to be continued.... 


	7. Chapter Seven

Part Seven  
  
Clark tapped his fingers nervously on the gleaming dark wood arm of the  
chair he was sitting in. It earned him a sharp look from the   
receptionist. She was new and apparently she thought Lex Luthor had  
better things to do with his time than hang out with a guy still in   
highschool. Clark glanced at the clock behind her. He had been   
waiting for over an hour and it was getting late. He should leave, he  
had chores to do at home. Clark started to stand, but then settled  
back down into his seat again. He had put this off long enough - he  
had to talk to Lex about Chloe. It's not like he thought that anything  
was going on between his two best friends, he just wanted to put   
everyone's minds at ease. Clark shifted uncomfortably. What the hell  
was he going to say to Lex?  
  
"Mandy, do you know where Helen...." Lex looked up from his paperwork  
as he exited his office. His face was still pretty beat up from the  
Club Zero incident and it made Clark wince. He was sure that Lex would  
never intentionally hurt Chloe - if there was something between them -  
but he couldn't ensure that any Luthor enemies wouldn't. "Clark, have  
you been here long?"  
  
"Oh, uh, no." Clark shook his head and stood up quickly. "I probably  
should have called first since you're at work."  
  
"Nonsense, I'm the boss remember." Lex showed Clark into his office.  
Before he shut the door he stepped out to talk quietly to the  
receptionist. "Mandy, just for future reference, I like to be   
informed of any visitors so that I may decide whether or not I want to  
see them."  
  
"Yes, sir, Mr. Luthor. I'm sorry," the girl gulped as Lex shut the  
door.  
  
"I'm sorry about that, Clark, Mandy's a temp replacing Helen while   
she's on vacation." Lex sat down as Clark shrugged. "What brings you  
by?"  
  
"Well, uh, it's about Chloe." Clark scratched his head and looked   
down at his beaten up old sneakers. How was he going to do this? He  
wasn't good at making small talk and steering the conversation toward  
the topic that he wanted to discuss.  
  
"What about Chloe? The cast was removed a few weeks ago, is her arm  
giving her trouble? Is she in pain?" Lex frowned and picked up the  
phone. "I told Gabe to let me know if she needed any further medical  
attention."  
  
"Chloe's fine," Clark assured Lex quickly. "Her arm is fine. It's  
something else." Clark shoved his hands in his pockets and took a   
deep breath. He met Lex's perplexed gaze briefly before glancing away  
and focusing on the blue cloudless sky in the window behind his friend.  
"Chloe is...uh...she's my friend and...uh...I've known her forever   
and...well, she's nice and, um, pretty...."  
  
"Yes," Lex agreed slowly and set the receiver back down with sharp  
click. This wasn't happening. Clark had not picked now to realize   
that Chloe was a girl - a smart, intelligent, beautiful girl - and ask  
his wise older friend's advice on these new budding feelings. A cold  
vice squeezed Lex's heart, tightening with the rising red tide of   
Clark's blush. He wasn't sure what he would do if Clark started   
rhapsodizing about Chloe the way he had about Lana. He certainly   
couldn't listen to it, not sober anyway. He stood up and walked over   
to the bar to fix himself a drink.  
  
"Yeah...." Clark looked down at Lex's desk. He could here the ice   
clink into a glass and the brief slosh of alcohol being poured. "Chloe  
is my best friend...."  
  
"We've covered that already," Lex interrupted and grimaced at the  
very apparent hostility in his voice. He belted back the drink.  
  
"Right." Clark frowned. Lex's mood had changed quickly. If he was  
this stressed about work, it might be better to bring this up at   
another time. Or he could do it quickly and get it over with and then  
Lex could yell at him or laugh at him, but the matter would be put to  
rest. "Okay, this is probably a stupid question....Do you like Chloe?"  
  
Lex turned to face Clark. "Excuse me?" He was surprised. He would  
have bet LuthorCorp stock that Clark would have been the last person  
to pick up on the sexual tension between he and Chloe.   
  
"Well, I know you like Chloe, but do you like like her - I mean as a  
potential girlfriend kind of like?"  
  
"I get your meaning, Clark, I just don't understand what brought about  
the question." Lex strolled back to his desk, but stood in front of it  
beside Clark. He didn't want it to look like he was hiding anything  
when he lied to his friend.  
  
"You went to Metropolis together and then after what happened at the  
mansion - your reaction to Chloe getting hurt was a bit extreme."  
Clark tentatively met Lex's eyes. He didn't look mad.  
  
"We didn't go to Metropolis together, I just gave her a ride because I  
happened to be going to the city as well." Lex smiled as if amused by  
Clark's suspicions. "And I will admit that I have been overly   
solicitous toward Chloe after those thugs pushed her out of one of  
my windows at my house, but as you said - she is your best friend -   
and she is the daughter of one of my most valuable employees. I like  
Chloe, Clark, but I have no romantic interest in her."  
  
"Okay." Clark smiled with relief. Now he could go back to Lana and   
Pete and tell them there was nothing to worry about. "I'm sorry I   
asked, but...." Clark shrugged.  
  
"She's your friend. I understand completely." Which is exactly why  
he had to lie. Lex squelched the errant feelings of guilt that tried  
to take root in his conscience. It was for the best. Clark didn't  
need to know the truth because nothing was going to come of his   
feelings for Chloe. Nothing.  
  
*****  
  
It was almost six o'clock. Lex hadn't gotten any work done since Clark  
had left an hour ago. He couldn't stop thinking about Chloe. She  
dominated most of his thoughts even though he hadn't seen her in weeks.  
The Club Zero incident had shaken him. What if Amanda's brother had  
picked up on his attraction to Chloe and had decided to use her in his  
revenge scheme? The possibility was repulsive. Lex had decided then   
to keep his distance from Chloe. He would still help her with her   
story on Rothman - he doubted that he could order her to give it up and  
he didn't want to even think about what would happen to her if she went  
after the bastard alone - but there would be no more intimate   
encounters in storage closets or intense liaisons in hospital rooms or  
not so innocent offers to give her a ride home. He wouldn't be alone  
with her again.  
  
"Hi, Lex." Chloe walked into his office with a smile. She flopped   
down into a chair in front of his desk. "How's it going?"  
  
"Fine." Lex blinked at her. She was really there, sitting in his   
office like there wasn't all sorts of sexual tension between them.   
"What brings you by?"  
  
"Dad's working late and his truck is in the shop, so I'm here to pick   
him up. I came a bit early to see how you are." Chloe's eyes filled  
with concern as she looked over the visible bruises and scrapes on   
Lex's face and hands.  
  
It wasn't going change his mind. Once a Luthor made a decision, it was  
made and not even soft blue eyes and the small quiver of feminine lips  
could inspire second thoughts. "Well, I'm not under the influence of  
a mind altering drug. The old man must have had second thoughts." Lex  
looked down dismissively at the open file on his computer screen. If   
he looked any longer at Chloe all his resolve would be gone. If he   
didn't see her eyes and her lips, then he could pretend that her only  
interest in him was how he could help her get her story. "Sorry."  
  
"You can't push me away, Lex, so just cut it out." Chloe grinned and  
stood up. She crossed over to Lex's side and perched on the desk.  
Her finger traced along a bruise on his cheek. "I was really scared  
when you disappeared."  
  
Those words made Lex unreasonably happy and that scared him. He tried  
to rationalize it as being far too long since anyone had cared about  
him, but he knew that it was because Chloe had said it and not the   
simple sentiment that stopped his heart and made him catch his breath.  
He wanted to kiss her senseless with gratitude. "You should have been  
relieved he hadn't used you to get to me." Lex backed his chair up to  
distance himself. "We spend too much time together."  
  
Chloe's chin came up as her back stiffened in stubborn defiance. Her  
blue eyes glinted with an irresistible determination. "I like spending  
time with you."  
  
"I don't care if you like it, the price is too high." Lex frowned even  
though he felt lightheaded with a giddiness he had never felt before.  
He had known women who liked spending his money - a few had even   
admitted it - but none had ever just liked spending time with him.   
The only problem was that Chloe was a girl, not a woman. She didn't  
know the danger she was putting herself in. She was too innocent to  
recognize the enemies power made. "Dammit, Chloe, you mean too much to  
me. I can't let you be naive about this situation."  
  
"How much?" Chloe's razor sharp instincts zeroed in on Lex's slip.  
"How much do I mean to you?"  
  
There was no way he could answer that question and not leave himself  
vulnerable. He had already said too much. Lex cursed to himself.   
"You are Clark's best friend. He would never forgive me if anything  
happened to you because of me."  
  
"I know what I mean to Clark. I asked about your feelings, Lex."   
Chloe frowned now, her brows creasing in frustration. She didn't want  
to think about how much his answer meant to her.   
  
"Clark stopped by today." Lex ignored her insistence and carried on  
with his own agenda. He swivelled his chair to look out the window.  
"He wanted to know if I had a romantic interest in you."  
  
"What?" Chloe stared at the back of Lex's head in disbelief. It was  
incredible that Clark had picked up on this thing between her and Lex,  
especially since she couldn't figure it out herself. She knew the fact  
that she was still in highschool was a problem for Lex. What Chloe  
couldn't figure out was why she felt so connected to him. They had  
nothing in common besides a sarcastic intelligence and Clark. She and  
Lex lived in different worlds that were separated by so much more than  
their ages. It didn't matter though, for some reason Chloe wanted to  
be more than a friend, more than a verbal sparring partner, more than  
a potential lover to Lex. "What did you say?"  
  
"I assured him that no such interest exists." Lex closed his eyes. He  
waited for her to challenge him. She had been in that storage closet  
with him and Chloe was smart enough to know he was lying. He just  
hoped that he could convince her that it was best if they both lied to  
themselves.  
  
"Oh," was all Chloe could manage. She licked her lips and tried to   
think of what else to say, but her mind was curiously blank. She felt  
frozen, like a mannequin in a store display. She was so stupid. She   
had mistaken concern for her for deeper feelings and it was obvious   
that the storage closet had been just a fluke. She should leave before  
she embarrassed herself further. "Okay."  
  
No, it wasn't okay. She was supposed to be Chloe and fight it. Lex  
whirled around. She wasn't supposed to just accept his lie, because if  
he didn't have to convince her, how was he going to convince himself  
that it was best that they ignore their growing feelings? He saw it  
though, the belief in his lie slid like a shadow across her eyes and  
then she was gone. She still sat on his desk, but there was a distance  
separating them that was more than the foot or so that separated the   
desk from the chair. Lex didn't like it. "I lied," he blurted out,  
desperate to have her back. "It was a lie." Lex scooted closer and  
reached out to grip Chloe's waist. "I lied to Clark."  
  
"Why?" Chloe leaned down and kissed Lex. She didn't care if he   
answered her question, she was just glad it had been a lie. She was  
getting dangerously attached to Lex Luthor.  
  
"I thought I could keep you safe," Lex answered between kisses. "I   
couldn't stand it if someone hurt you because of me. Because I...care  
for you."  
  
"Things get risky when you...care for someone." Chloe moved off the   
desk and settled in Lex's lap. "Are you okay with that? Because I  
care for you, Lex. A lot."  
  
"Yeah, I'm okay with it." Lex pressed his forehead to hers. "I'll   
have to be because I really care for you, Chloe. I shouldn't, but I   
do." Lex sighed. He had always scoffed at the notion that simply   
saying something out loud to another person made you feel better, but   
admitting to Chloe that he cared and was afraid did help. It didn't  
fix anything, they couldn't go on like this - illicit make out sessions  
whenever they found themselves alone - and they certainly couldn't   
date - Lex was pretty sure the line to kick his ass would stretch for  
miles - but hey would figure something out eventually. The important  
thing was that he hadn't lost her. "Your father is going to start to  
miss you. I'll walk you to his office."  
  
"Okay." Chloe jumped off his lap. She didn't seem at all perturbed  
about what her father's reaction to where she had been sitting would  
be. "So, did Clark believe you?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I'm sorry you had to lie to him." Chloe hugged Lex before he opened  
the door and they were out in the world again. Who knew when she would  
get the chance to touch him again? She loved her father and Clark  
dearly, but they would never understand her feelings for Lex and they  
would definitely misunderstand Lex's feelings for her. Any   
relationship she had with Lex would not be a part of the rest of her  
world. They would never hold hands walking down the street, exchange  
kisses while having coffee at the Talon, or even go to the movies with  
Pete, Lana, and Clark. Chloe stepped back from Lex and pasted a bright  
smile to her face. "Don't think I've forgotten about the Rothman  
story. It's obvious your father had second thoughts - which is a good  
thing - and we have to figure out another way to get a sample of   
Green Persuasion." Chloe's smile became more genuine when Lex rolled  
his eyes at her. Everything would be fine, they would figure something  
out. The important thing was that Lex cared.  
  
*****  
  
Lana found Clark where she usually found him, up in the barn loft.   
Before Lana had really gotten to know Clark, she had never thought of   
him as a 'pondering the universe' type of guy, but she always seemed to  
catch him up here looking at the stars and thinking about things he   
rarely confided to others. "Hey, Clark."  
  
"Oh, hi, Lana." Clark turned and greeted her with that brilliant smile  
of his. Whitney never smiled at her like that.  
  
"So, what did Lex say when you talked to him about Chloe?" Lana walked  
over and sat down beside Clark. She tried to ignore the fluttery   
feeling in her stomach. Whitney was her boyfriend. Sometimes she   
wished she was the type of person who could defy all of her Aunt Nell's  
expectations of her and do what she wanted, but quitting the   
cheerleading squad had been enough of a rebellion. Besides there was a  
lot of history between her aunt and Clark's parents, Nell would really  
throw a fit if Lana decided she wanted to date Clark instead of   
Whitney. It was best to just ignore any butterflies that Clark sent   
flitting around inside of her. "Are they dating?" Chloe would be   
brave. If she really liked Lex, Lana couldn't see how anyone's   
opinions would sway Chloe's feelings.   
  
Clark laughed. "No, we got it all wrong. Lex was just worried about  
Chloe because she's my friend and Mr. Sullivan works for him so he   
feels responsible about what happened at the mansion during the   
break-in."  
  
"Oh." Lana raised her eyebrows. She had seen the way Lex had looked   
at Chloe when she had interrupted them in the Torch office - well  
before Chloe had been thrown from a window at Luthor mansion - and she  
doubted very much that Lex had been thinking about Clark or Mr.  
Sullivan.  
  
"I know, that's how Pete looked at me when I told him the same thing."  
Clark's good natured smile was replaced by a slight frown. "But Lex   
is my friend and I trust him. He told me that he has no romantic   
interest in Chloe and I have to believe him."  
  
"Okay." Lana nodded and smiled, deciding to let it go for now. She   
would talk to Chloe about it instead, she probably needed another girl  
to confide in anyway. The two of them settled into an easy silence as  
they looked up at the stars and got lost in their thoughts. After a   
few minutes, Lana turned to Clark, "Would it have bothered you if Lex   
had said he was interested in Chloe?"  
  
"But he's not." Clark shifted nervously. He didn't know why Lana was  
so persistent with this idea. He sure hoped wasn't matchmaking. "And  
it would bother me, but only because Lex and Chloe are do different."  
  
"Really? I don't think they're that different at all. They both   
moved from Metropolis to Smallville, they've both lost their mothers,   
they're both smart and they both like that banter thing that they do."  
Lana wasn't quite sure why she was pushing like this, she had thought  
she was going to let it go. She had stared out at the stars like Clark  
did so often and they didn't hold any answers for her. She really   
wanted to know how Clark would react to Lex and Chloe as a couple and  
if he couldn't even contemplate the possibility, then why? Did Clark  
have feelings for Chloe that went beyond friendship? "I actually   
think they would make a great couple."  
  
"Uh, Lana, you were the one who was worried that Lex would hurt Chloe.  
That's why you wanted me to talk to him," Clark reminded her   
cautiously.  
  
"I know. I'm sorry, Clark." Lana shook her head and smiled at Clark.  
It was foolish to be jealous of any negative reaction Clark would have  
about a relationship between two of his friends. Whitney was her  
boyfriend.  
  
*****  
  
His son was becoming more of a problem every day. Lionel Luthor   
frowned at the report laying on his desk and wished for the days Lex   
had been a reckless ne'er-do-well, going out to clubs, picking up   
women, and indulging in designer drugs. At least then his private   
investigator would have found him something to use against his  
bullheaded and very ambitious son. Instead all they had found was that  
Lex went to work - where he was respected by his employees - and hung  
out with the Kent boy and his highschool friends. Lex wasn't even   
corrupting the minors, he had helped one of them start a business and  
revitalize the town. Lionel pushed the report away with disgust. He   
needed a drink.   
  
"But first I'll see what my recalcitrant son has been up to all day,"  
Lionel mused to himself. He clicked on a camera icon on his computer  
screen and keyed in the password. CUSTOS. A window opened that was   
filled with folders marked the names of cities, towns, and companies.  
Lionel chose the one named Smallville and typed in another password.  
FILIUS. Inside there was video files and he chose the one with that  
day's date. It took a moment and then Lex's office at the Smallville  
plant appeared. Lex was hard at work at his desk already and the timer  
read six am. Lionel fast forwarded as Lex made phone calls and met   
with his assistant and the plant manager. The one drawback to the   
spycam Lionel had Dominic install in Lex's office behind that horrid   
seascape painting Lillian had loved so much was that it didn't have   
audio. Lex wisely had his office at the plant routinely swept for   
bugs, so Lionel had to settle for video only. This camera was   
undetectable to the technology Lex used in his sweeps.  
  
It wasn't until later in the day that things got interesting. The Kent  
boy showed up and he and Lex seemed to be having a very intense   
discussion. Lionel frowned. His son had been spending an awful lot of  
time with the pretty farm boy and was unduly influenced by the youth's  
opinions....No, if Lex had those tendencies, he would have switched   
teams when he had attended all-male private schools. Besides, his son  
had just recently enjoyed playing games with Victoria Hardwick. The  
Kent boy finally left, looking relieved by whatever Lex had told him.  
Whatever it was, Lex had lied. He could tell by the way Lex had   
smiled. His son was going to have to work on that tell. Lionel   
fast forwarded a bit more as his son went back to work.  
  
A blonde girl showed up. She looked familiar. She looked young,   
obviously Lex's association with her was due to the Kent boy. Lex's  
reaction to her was fascinating. He drank her in in small doses when  
she wasn't looking at him - which wasn't often - and he looked at her  
with that soft look in his eyes that had disappeared when his mother  
had died and Pamela had left. This girl meant something to his son.  
Lionel watched them with growing satisfaction. He watched his son  
touch her, kiss her, hold her, and Lionel strongly suspected love her.  
His lips parted in a wolfish grin as Lex escorted the girl out of his  
office. He needed to find out who she was - which shouldn't be   
difficult in Smallville - and then he needed to find her weaknesses.  
Lionel shut down the computer and moved to the bar to fix himself a   
celebratory drink. He wasn't gong to need Green Persuasion to control  
Lex. Not when he had blonde.  
  
To be continued.... 


	8. Chapter Eight

Part Eight  
  
This was stupid. Idiotic. Why would anyone in their right mind  
participate in such an awkward activity? Chloe looked up at the rope  
suspended from the ceiling of the school's gymnasium. There was no way  
she was going to climb it.  
  
"Come on, Chloe." Lana bounced up beside her. Her dark ponytail swung  
merrily back and forth, the perfect accessory to her brilliant white   
smile. "It'll be great practice for when you're a hard-hitting   
investigative reporter."  
  
"And what? I've got an exclusive interview with Tarzan, King of the  
Jungle?" Chloe shot Lana a death glare, but the girl only giggled in  
response. With a deep breath, she grasped the rough nylon rope at a  
spot up above her head. She pulled herself up, her legs flailing as  
she tried to grip the rope with them. This was a horrible, graceless  
exercise - at least it was when she did it. Chloe was certain that  
Lana would ascend the rope like a ballerina dancing across a stage. It  
was more than likely that her face would also turn a pretty shade of  
pink from the effort and not the raging red that Chloe was sure hers  
was.  
  
"That's it, Chloe," Lana encouraged despite the fact that Chloe had  
only managed to get herself a couple of feet higher. "Wrap your legs  
around the rope to stabilize it." Chloe looked down to deliver a  
scathing retort, but Lana smiled innocently at her and said - loud  
enough for Chloe to hear, but soft enough that their struggling   
classmates could not - "Just pretend it's Lex."  
  
The combined shock of hearing that insinuation from the pure princess  
of Smallville herself and that Lana even knew something was going on   
between her and Lex, made Chloe let go of the rope. She landed   
painfully on her ass. It was so excruciating that the wind was knocked   
out of her and she couldn't even gasp. All she was capable of was  
gaping like a fish out of water.  
  
"Oh, no, Chloe!" Lana knelt down beside her. "Are you okay?" Chloe  
gritted her teeth and nodded even though the pain was horrendous.   
There was already a crowd forming around her and she hated a fuss.   
"I'm taking you to the nurse. Mrs. Ashbrook, I'm taking Chloe to the  
nurse." Lana helped Chloe up without waiting for permission and   
supported her as her friend limped out of the gym.  
  
"I'm so sorry, Chloe." Tears shone in Lana's eyes as they made their  
way slowly down the hall. "I shouldn't have said that while you were  
up there. I'm sorry."  
  
The last thing Chloe wanted was to have to deal with a crying Lana.  
"It's okay. Why..." Chloe took a deep breath. She stopped walking  
and leaned up against the wall to rest. "Why did you say that about  
pretending it was Lex?"  
  
"I, uh..." Lana bit her lip. She was regretting her comment. She had  
thought Chloe would blush or snap something back at her and that would  
give her an opening to bring up the Lex situation. Technically, she  
did still have her opening. "Lex is the older guy you met at the club,  
isn't he? The one you were confused about?"  
  
"What makes you think that?" Chloe evaded the question. She wasn't   
ready to answer. She didn't know if she wanted to lie to Lana or   
confide in her. She couldn't talk about her feelings for Lex with  
Clark or Pete.  
  
"The way you look at each other and how attentive Lex is toward you."  
Lana smiled. "He looks for you every time he comes into the Talon. He  
does it real cool and casual, of course, and he always asks for Clark.  
His eyes light up when he sees you though."  
  
"Really?" Chloe couldn't hide her pleasure at Lana's revelation. She  
didn't want to. Lex looked for her! Suddenly, Chloe wanted to tell  
Lana everything, so she did. It all came out in a rush - the Ryan,   
Rothman, Bacchanalia, being drugged, Green Persuasion, Lex. "And when  
he kisses me, I just....I can't think. I feel. I feel everything and  
it's so intense."  
  
"Chloe have you and Lex, uh, have you...." Lana stumbled over the   
intimate question. She was bit stunned and worried about all the   
things Chloe had told her, but this was her most pressing worry. Lex  
was a player. He had better not be playing Chloe. Ooo, she hoped   
Chloe wouldn't get mad.   
  
"No," Chloe answered quickly. "Have you and Whitney...."  
  
"No." Lana shook her head. She had never felt the way Chloe was   
describing with Whitney. It was nice when she and Whitney kissed.   
Sometimes when Clark smiled at her or touched her, she got a bit of a  
shiver. She tried not to dwell on that though. "Do you want to - with  
Lex?"  
  
"I don't know." Chloe frowned. Lana had asked a question she hadn't  
asked herself. Did she want to sleep with Lex? He was certainly   
experienced enough to make her first time memorable and enjoyable.   
"When he kisses me, I don't want him to stop. I want him to touch me  
and I don't think I would say no if he took it further. But standing  
here, I just don't know if I want to go that far."  
  
"Then you shouldn't." Lana breathed an inaudible sigh of relief.   
Chloe may be involved with Lex, but she was at least being half-way  
sensible about it. "If you don't know if you want to do it when you   
can think straight, then you shouldn't."  
  
"I know. You put Clark up to asking Lex about his feelings for me,  
didn't you?" Chloe pushed herself away from the wall. She felt better  
now, physically and emotionally. Telling Lana everything had helped  
her put her relationship with Lex in perspective and the rest had eased  
the pain to a throbbing soreness.   
  
"Are you mad?" Lana asked apprehensively. "I was worried and I wasn't  
sure about Lex's motives. I'm still not."  
  
"I think Lex isn't sure about his motives. I think this thing between  
us has caught him by surprise." Chloe grinned as she remembered how  
Lex had changed his mind in his office when he had lied to her about  
not having any romantic interest in her. "Lex has been great, Lana, so  
you don't have to worry or sic Clark on us again."  
  
"Are you going to tell Clark?"  
  
"Not yet. It's not like Lex and I are dating, we're just making out  
occasionally while he helps me track down a story. Maybe after this  
whole Rothman/Green Persuasion thing is over and Lex and I actually  
decide to define our relationship and we still have a relationship,   
then I'll tell Clark and Pete." Chloe sighed and looked at Lana.   
"Wow, my second girl talk session. It's not as bad as I thought."  
  
"But Chloe, we're not finished." Lana turned her big doe eyes on her.  
"We've only talked about boys. We still have make-up, hair products,  
boy bands, and clothes to cover. I like to use a leave-in conditioner,  
especially in the summer because it keeps the static out of my hair.  
What do you use to combat fly-away hair?" Lana couldn't stop herself  
from breaking out in giggles at the truly astonished and panicked look  
on Chloe's face. "Oh, Chloe, you can be so easy sometimes."  
  
"I was just taking your advice, Lana. I was thinking of Lex." Chloe  
laughed as Lana's giggles turned into sputters. She actually enjoyed  
talking to Lana. She wasn't all about being perfect and sweet. She  
was fun and easy to talk to and Chloe knew that what she said wouldn't  
be spread around the school by morning. Chloe shook her head in  
wonder - Lana Lang was her friend.  
  
*****  
  
The decelerating helicopter blades created a sluggish breeze that   
stirred Lionel Luthor's dark mane of hair as he strode away from the  
landing pad. Lex waited for him. Lionel smirked. He knew that his  
son hated standing by to greet him, that's why he insisted on it. It  
kept the boy in his place. "Lex."  
  
"Dad. We weren't scheduled for a meeting until next week. Why the  
sudden urge to visit Smallville?" Lex didn't look nervous and Lionel  
had to give him a smidgen of respect for that.  
  
Instead of answering, Lionel brushed past his son and headed toward  
the elevator, forcing Lex to follow him. He didn't say anything until  
they were alone in his office. Again he was impressed with Lex's   
control. His son didn't pepper him with questions, he just waited for  
the last one to be answered. Lionel made himself comfortable behind  
his desk and then put on a stern parental look. "Chloe Sullivan."  
  
"Gabe Sullivan's daughter. She's a friend of Clark's." Lex was   
careful to keep his voice neutral and to meet his father's gaze. He  
sat down, even though he hadn't been invited to. For some reason,  
Chloe had made it onto Lionel's radar screen, but he couldn't panic.  
There could be other reasons why his father would bring her up. "Is  
this about the break-in? Because I've already taken care of Miss  
Sullivan's medical expenses."  
  
"Miss Sullivan. How formal considering your relationship with the  
girl, Lex."  
  
Lex merely raised his eyebrow in inquiry. He knew this game and his  
father wasn't fishing. Somehow he knew about Chloe, but Lex couldn't  
be sure how much he knew. He didn't want to admit to caring for Chloe  
when his father might think it was only a flirtation. "Miss Sullivan  
is a teenager and the daughter of one of my most valuable employees."  
  
"I know. That is why I am so concerned." Lionel shook his head   
slowly. "Really, Lex, are you so bored out here that you have to   
dally with a schoolgirl? That's dangerous and stupid." Lionel paused.  
"The girl could get hurt. Her life ruined."  
  
"And who would do that?" Lex went cold. He never should have put   
Chloe in a position where she could be hurt by his father. He never  
should have let himself believe that he could be happy - that Lionel  
would ever allow that to happen.   
  
Even though his son didn't look defeated, Lionel knew he had won. He  
had also managed to kill two birds with one stone as the old adage so  
quaintly put it. Lex would do as he asked to protect the girl and then  
he would end his stupid little romance with her so he wouldn't be  
vulnerable again. Lionel placed the legal documents that would ensure  
that he kept control of his company on the desk. "I have some papers  
for you to sign, Lex."  
  
Without hesitation Lex took the pen his father offered and scrawled his  
signature in the proper places. "Is that all?"  
  
"Aren't you going to even read them?"  
  
"Why? I wouldn't change my choice." Lex stood up. "If that's all,   
I'll get back to work."  
  
"You signed away controlling interest in LuthorCorp for her, Lex."  
  
Funny, Lex didn't feel any disappointment or regret. It could have all  
been his - he would have finally beaten his father - and it didn't   
matter that he had given it all up. "And how exactly did I wrest  
control of LuthorCorp from you?"  
  
"You did a good job here at the plant. Your mother had left it to you  
with a provision in her will that if you were successful then you   
would inherit shares in other LuthorCorp companies."  
  
"Small details you neglected to tell me about." That's why Lionel had  
been desperate enough to do business with Rothman. "So now that you  
won't be needing the drug you bought from Nicholas Rothman I'll take   
it." The look of surprise on Lionel's face was gratifying. It was  
nice to know the old man didn't know everything.  
  
"I hope you're not going to use it on the poor girl, Lex. It wouldn't  
be very chivalrous of you." Lionel took the vial out of his   
briefcase and set it on the desk. He regretted its loss, but he   
doubted it would have worked anyway since Lex had apparently known   
about it and had his guard up. He wasn't afraid that his son would use  
it on him, Lex would hardly have been so obvious in asking that he hand  
it over if that had been his plan. Lionel stood up and walked toward  
the door. "Have a good day, Lex. I'll expect to see you in Metropolis  
next week for our meeting."  
  
"Wouldn't miss it, Dad." Lex picked up the green vial and regarded it  
with a smirk. "I'll bring the refreshments."  
  
"Don't be facetious, it only makes you look like a sore loser," Lionel  
snapped. He paused in the doorway before leaving. "You will take care  
of thinks with the girl soon, Lex. We can't afford the scandal and if  
you don't, then I will be forced to."  
  
"I'll take care of it and you will stay away from Chloe." Lex gritted  
his teeth as his father left. It was over. He had always known this  
weird, wonderful relationship he was developing with Chloe would end,  
but he had hoped it would last a bit longer. Lex held the vial up to  
the light and watched it glow in the sunlight. He would have to finish  
the Rothman investigation and get Chloe her story before his father had  
a chance to take care of anything. The lab techs wouldn't need the  
whole vial to analyse the contents, the rest could be used for   
something else.   
  
*****  
  
The music was loud and the place was packed with people, but Nicholas  
Rothman was in no mood to join in on the gaiety. It had been months  
since he had sold Lionel Luthor the contaminated Green Persuasion and  
Lex was still alive. He crumpled up the photo of Lex that grinned up  
at him from the front page of the Daily planet and tossed the newspaper  
into the trash. He punched at the numbers on his telephone to replay   
the voicemail.   
  
"A celebration of our success is in order, Rothman," Lex's cool voice  
issued from the machine, not even a hint of static or background noise  
tainted the message. "Shut down the Bacchanalia to the public   
tomorrow night and we can toast our profitable partnership. Then,   
after you leave, I would like to host a more private party for Chloe -  
it's her birthday and I want to do something special. I'll have my   
assistant fax you the details about the food, music, and anything else  
I'll require for the evening."  
  
No hello, no good-bye - just orders. Our partnership. Our success.  
Bacchanalia was his vision and the only reason Luthor was involved was  
because of that unaerated bitch. "Goddamn Luthor," Nick muttered and  
cradled his head in his hands. Just once he would like to get the   
better of Lex. All he asked was to be able to go to his father and   
say, 'Look what I did. I bested a Luthor - something you never did.'  
And then the old man would have to shut the hell up and leave him   
alone. Nick lifted his head at a loud knock on his office door. "I   
told you I don't want to be disturbed," he yelled.  
  
"Sorry, Mr. Rothman." Vince's voice was muffled by the closed door.  
"But you wanted to know if Gillian McKay showed up in the club again.  
I just ID'd her at the bar."  
  
She came back. Someone down there must like him because the bitch who  
had gotten him into this mess had very stupidly walked back into his  
territory. Nick strode quickly form his office and followed Vince down  
to the club. This time Lex would be the one to pay dearly because of  
Gillian McKay. "Where is she?" Nick scanned the bar, but didn't see   
any short, curvy blondes.  
  
"Right there at the end." Vince nodded at a woman leaning against the  
bar, talking animatedly to three other women.   
  
Something was wrong. "Are you sure?" Nick frowned. That woman was  
definitely not his Gillian McKay. Redheads didn't do it for him.   
  
"Her college ID said Gillian McKay." Vince shrugged and went back to  
work behind the bar.  
  
Nick made his way toward the small group of women. He pasted a   
charming smile on his face. "Good evening, ladies, are you enjoying  
yourselves?" Nick gestured for Vince to refresh their drinks. "I'm   
Nicholas Rothman." He didn't pay attention as the women introduced   
themselves, he kept his focus on Gillian.  
  
"So, you own this place?" Gillian smiled at him. "It's cool."  
  
"Thanks." Nick knew that subtlety was not one of his strengths,   
especially when he wanted something. This Gillian McKay had to know  
the identity of Lex's damsel. She must have used this Gillian McKay's  
ID to get into the club. "How did you hear about Bacchanalia?"  
  
"Are you kidding? Everyone on campus is raving about this place."  
Gillian blushed and looked a little sheepish. "I've meant to check it  
out way before now, but I used to visit my boyfriend on the weekends.  
We've broken up."  
  
"Really." Nick paused as if thinking. "You know, you're name is  
familiar. I think we have a mutual friend...short blonde girl, likes  
to ask questions."  
  
"Oh, you mean my cousin Chloe. Chloe Sullivan."  
  
Nick tuned out the rest of Gillian's conversation. Lex had introduced  
him to Chloe as Sullivan as his girlfriend. She had been dressed more  
sophisticatedly, but now that he thought about it, it was her. Chloe  
Sullivan was his Gillian McKay. Lex had used his jailbait girlfriend  
to set him up and now he wanted to celebrate and do something special  
for the slut. Well, Nick would just have to make sure it was something  
extra special.  
  
To be continued.... 


End file.
